For The Living
by Ezakiel
Summary: When an ancient threat rears its head yet again, the Monster Hunters have to take up their arms to claim their future. Former "An Unusual Assignment"
1. A special request

**For The Living**

Alright! I've spent long days and nights on this site, and now I'm trying this myself. Since I'm born and bred in germany, there might be some mistakes, so please point out any you find.

I beat Monster Hunter Freedom 2 just a few days ago, and when I saw that there are hardly any fics for the series, I decided to start with this project. I really think that this game has a lot of material for fanfictions, so here we go!

Narration "Speech" _Thoughts/Emphasis_

Please read&review! Rated T for language and... well, monster hunting.^^

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. However, I do own my original characters, which are named, and the plot of this fanfiction.

**Chapter One: A special request**

"Congratulations for slaying the ferocious Blangonga! As a token of our sincere gratitude, let me give you this reward!" The receptionist of the Pokke Guild Hall beamed at her own words and put three small bags of coins on the desk in front of her.

Ezakiel took the suspiciously small bag and examined it's content. Exactly 1.000 Zeni. _Peanuts._

Ezakiel was a tall, well trained man with long, straight black hair. Two thick braids hung from his temples down in front of his shoulders while the rest fell freely to his back. He had observing indigo eyes, a slightly hooked nose and a small mouth, embedded in a narrow, pale face. His body was clad in shining brown steel plate, an armor forged of the shell of a Kushala Daora, a fierce and mighty elder dragon with a skin of steel that commanded the powers of wind. It was surprisingly light but at the same time offered great protection. On his back he carried a long, shining claymore resting in a crimson sheath. He named it Gaelic Flame, an extraordinary weapon with a blade made of the wings of the same Kushala Daora that had to die for his armor and a handle and sheath crafted of a Rathalos, a famous, fire-breathing wyvern that is also known as the "lord of the sky".

He was a deliberate, concerning person who usually came up with the strategies in battle. He kept his cool even in heated situations, at least most of the time.

"WHAT?" bellowed a loud and deep voice to his right, belonging to Dalmin, one of Ezakiels oldest friends.

Dalmin, by all means, was a giant. More than seven feet tall and three feet wide without his armor, with muscles as hard as steel all over his body, he was quite intimidating. His tanned features added to that. Wary grey eyes rested over a long, wide nose, and his wide mouth was bearing a row of large, slightly crooked teeth. His bald scalp gleamed in the light of the torches around him. He towered over the tiny woman like a menacing mountain, an impression that was further enhanced by his armor. It was made out of the body of a Gravios, a gigantic wyvern with a skin of rock, and looked truly impressive. Huge plates of stone covered his body, offering unparalleled protection. The massive gunlance and shield crafted of the same material, strapped to his back, added to the image of power. Usually he was a gentle and humorous person, but he had a considerably short fuse and - especially in battle - tended to swear like a soldier.

"Only 1.000 Zeni for each of us? After all the trouble we went through? We fried that rotten heap of..."

The huge man stopped in mid-sentence, inhaled sharply with his eyes shut tight, as if he was biting his own tongue, shook his head and couldn't continue out of sheer bewilderment.

_Please, don't throw a tantrum now..._ Ezakiel silently pleaded.

"Why?" asked a dark, husky but distinctly female voice to his left.

Zeshen was another childhood friend of his, a short and slender woman with skin the color of a moonless night. She had small, dark eyes, a long nose and a tiny mouth. Her jet-black hair was done in countless braids, bound together with a black hairband in a long ponytail. Her body was athletic and covered neck-to-toe in a black leather armor that seemed to emphasize her curvy figure rather than hide it. It was made of the skin of Remobras, small but deadly wyverns that spitted poison at their prey. Two long, narrow swords were fastened to her belt, her cherished Guild Knight Sabers, forged of the finest of steels. Zeshen was the direct opposite of Dalmin. Always calm and focused, she never showed much emotion and spoke not a word more than she needed to.

The receptionist's smile stayed on her lips, albeit somewhat frozen now. "Because you left it in no condition to exploit," she answered flatly.

Ezakiel tried not to wince at her statement. _That's one way to put it._

Even though they defeated the Blangonga pretty easily, they made a big mistake in the end. Dalmin used the most potent function of his gunlance, the wyvern-fire, to kill the giant monkey. Unfortunately, the blast hurled it straight over the edge of the cliff they were fighting on. It dropped several thousand feet to the ground, never to be found again.

While he was reflecting on their not-so-great adventure, the receptionist continued. "Without any materials to sell or craft, the guild books a serious loss. In fact, you should consider yourselves grateful that we don't hold you responsible. This reward is solely for vanquishing a great threat to travelers, and it's more than we would have to pay, so..."

"Why you..." snarled the giant , clearly losing his composure for good now.

Ezakiel quickly raised his hands. "Please, calm down, Dalmin. She's right, you know." To the now disgruntled woman he added: "We humbly apologize for any inconvenience we made, and thank you for this relatively generous reward."

She instantly sported her fake smile again. "Thank you for your understanding. We're looking forward to your next visit!"

He hadn't missed the emphasis on "next" and supressed a frown. _Dismissed._

He gave her a curt nod and turned to his friends. "Alright, let's head home."

Zeshen immediately walked toward the exit while Dalmin remained where he was for another second. That much he owed to his pride. But after a wave from Ezakiel, he too made for the door. With a sigh, Ezakiel followed his friends.

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Outside of the Guild Hall, the three friends stood silent for a while, digesting their frustration.

"Sorry, guys," Dalmin said with a miserable look in his eyes.

"Don't worry about it. This could happen to everyone," Ezakiel said, placing a hand on his companion's shoulder.

Zeshen took a step forward and looked up into his downcast eyes.

"You made a mistake, learned from it and will know better in the future," she calmly stated.

Dalmin looked at his friends and suddenly grinned.

"Alrighty, enough moping around! Let's go and drown this fucked up day!" he shouted with his booming voice, earning a smile from Ezakiel and a shake of the head from Zeshen.

xxxxxxxxxx

Inside the Tavern, sitting at the bar, the three hunters enjoyed a well-deserved drink. They had changed into their casual city-outfits since the only thing they could have to fight would be the urge to drink too much.

Ezakiel held a long, pointed item in his hand, eying it ponderously.

"Had I not chopped off one of it's fangs, we might not have been able to convince her," he mused, twirling the fang between his fingers.

"Had Dalmin not obliterated our prey, we wouldn't have had to convince her at all," Zeshen said bluntly with an amused expression in her eyes.

"Had I not obliterated our prey, we wouldn't have been paid at all," Dalmin said with a grin before he bellowed his deafening laugh, causing several guests at the adjacent tables to turn their heads in annoyance.

_Why is he so cheerful about it all of a sudden?_ Ezakiel wondered.

"Since when are you satisfied with our payment?" he asked.

Dalmin calmed down a bit. "I'm not. But it doesn't help to bitch about it. We'll simply beat the shit out of the next one and earn ourselves a fortune," he stated with a smile.

"Yeah right. There's no way in hell that's gonna happen anytime soon," Ezakiel said.

"We might just find out soon enough," Zeshen said, glancing at the entrance.

The others followed her gaze and noticed a familiar figure standing in the doorway, clad in the official uniform for male employers of the Hunters Guild, a black and red suit with a blue scarf and a sash of the same colour around the waist.

The man scanned the crowd, as if he was looking for someone in particular. His eyes came to rest on the friends, and a moment later he walked over to them.

Ezakiel straightened in his stool and turned around to greet the newcomer. He was a little excited, for usually hunters approach the Guild, not the other way around.

_If an employer pays you a visit, it means business. And that means money._

"Greetings, dear hunters," the man said. "May I ask if you migh want to share a moment of your time to listen to a request of the guild?"

"Certainly," Ezakiel answered after sharing a swift glance with his friends. "How can we be of assistance?"

The employer gave a short smile before he answered. "Well, the Guild wants to hire you for a ... special quest."

Ezakiel had a hard time supressing a grin. Zeshen didn't, and Dalmin never tried. _YES! Riches..._

"Let me explain. We await the arival of another hunter here in Pokke. She transfers here from Kokoto to complete her initiation as a hunter."

_Initiation... great, a rookie._ _I wonder what we're in for._

The initiation is a process every hunter goes through to join the Hunters Guild. Basically, someone is a hunter when he goes out into the world and hunts monsters. However, the Hunters Guild is an association of hunters who proved themselves worthy of truly bearing that title. It was founded in a time when the population of monsters started to get out of hand in order to organize the hunters, thus standing against this menace more effectively. In the course of the initiation the hunter, or a group of hunters, has to kill a monster of at least a certain strength.

"Her name is Reena, daughter of Head Administrator Temura. This request is asked in his name."

The hunters let out a collective gasp. Head Administrator Temura was one of the leaders of the Hunters Guild. He governed every Guild Hall on this entire continent, including Pokke. A request from him was a tremendous honour and guaranteed huge rewards.

"His Lordship specifically requested _your _aid, as you are known to be the most experienced hunters of Pokke. Now, here are the terms of the quest." He cleared his throat before he continued.

"You are to escort Lady Reena on a quest of her choice. She is to be kept from harm and the quest is to be completed. The reward will be presented to you after her acceptance in the ranks of the Hunters Guild is acknowledged."

"The three of us, as an escort?" Ezakiel asked a little troubled. "Isn't aid by adepted members of the Guild against the conditions of the initiation?"

In fact, such aid was considered cheating. If they helped that Reena, she wouldn't be accepted into the Guild at all, and even worse, they could get punished for this, even excommunicated.

He looked at his friends. They didn't seem to like that prospect as well, for an excommunicated hunter can never rejoin the Guild for the rest of his life.

"Do not worry about a punishment. His Lordship intends to send you out incongnito. No one will ever know about your presence at the Lady's side."

Still not fully convinced, Ezakiel asked the question that burned under each of their nails.

"What will be the reward?"

"Upon completing this quest, you will be granted a reward of 30.000 Zeni."

Ezakiel scratched his chin, wondering if this was worth the risk.

"Each," the employer added with a smile.

Ezakiel's chin dropped, Zeshen inhaled sharply and Dalmin started to cough as he choked on his drink.

_What? That would be 90.000 in total!_

That was far more than they ever heard of before, let alone earned themselves. Considering that this was the reward for a single quest, they were offered a fortune. Not to mention getting on the good side of one of the most powerful leaders of the Guild.

"Do you accept this request?" the employer asked, knowing he had already won.

All eyes set on Ezakiel. As the leader of the group, he had to choose. He knew that, and that knowledge didn't make it easier for him. Sure, the reward was enormous, to say the least, and he could tell that his companions were interested as well. But he also had to consider the risk they took by accepting. Sure, they would complete the quest incognito, but if they were observed and recognized by someone, and that someone were to give them away to the Guild, even His Lordship Temura wouldn't be able to save them, for betraying the principles of the Guild was one of the most severe crimes, only short of murder.

It wasn't an easy decision, but in the end, his choice was clear.

"I accept your request." He turned towards his friends. "What about you?"

"YAAHOOOO! Count me in, lad!" Dalmin roared before he started laughing like a maniac, startling the employer.

"I shall accompany you as well," Zeshen said, unable to conceal her smile.

The employer, having regained his composure, offered his hand to Ezakiel.

"Then it is settled?"

"Indeed it is," Ezakiel answered, shaking the outstretched hand.

"So, when will Lady Reena arrive in Pokke?" he asked.

"Since she is currently traveling with the regular trade caravan, she should arrive tomorrow."

"Very well, we will be there to welcome her. Is there anything else we have to know?"

"No, that is about all." The employer gave a curt bow. "I have to take my leave. I wish you a peaceful respite and the best of luck." With that, he turned around and left the three hunters to themselves.

"See? Everything can happen," Zeshen said, enjoying the numb expressions on her friend's faces.

"Shit, this is awesome," Dalmin exclaimed enthusiastically. "This calls for a celebration!"

"Don't overreach yourself, Dalmin," Zeshen chided. "If you have a hangover tomorrow, I'll have your head."

"Ain't gonna happen to me, lass!" he cheered.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"Let's compromise then," Ezakiel said. "One more round to celebrate our next mission, and then we hit the sack. Well?"

He earned two nods, an approving one from Zeshen and a disappointed one from Dalmin.

Allright, that's it. In the next chapter, our heroes will meet their new companion and start on their quest. Will this be a cakewalk, or will they wish they had declined while they still could? You'll see soon enough, so sit tight. Updating shouldn't take too long.

Please tell me in your reviews what you think about my way of describing persons and what you think about them in general. Criticism is asked for, flames are accepted if constructive.

I need your feedback to improve my skills as a writer, so help me out here.

With all this said, see you until next time!

P.S. I haven't definitely decided what our heroes will be up against, so suggestions are welcome;)


	2. Reena

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter. However, I do own my original characters.

**Chapter two:**** Reena**

The next morning, the three hunters went to the trade station to await their subject's arrival.

"I wonder what she's like," Ezakiel mused.

"She's prolly damn spoiled, being wealthy and all," Dalmin said.

"But she IS aspiring to become a hunter."

"And requests three renowned experts to aid her. All she gotta do is whup a Kut-Ku, what's the problem with that?" Dalmin seemed confused.

"Maybe she wants to make a good impact by slaying something bigger, like a Rathalos or a Shogun Ceanataur," Zeshen interjected.

"In that case," Ezakiel said, "she's only gonna be overestimated. People would get suspicious when she slays a Rathalos 'all by herself' but doesn't manage to vanquish something like a Gypceros."

"Those are pretty nasty," Dalmin said amused.

"Only until you break their head crest. After that, you just hack away."

"I like it when they play dead. As if we would leave them alone!" Dalmin gave a confident chuckle and flexed his muscles.

"If I recall correctly," Zeshen said, now smiling, "you fell for it the first time and got kicked in the mud."

"Aw, but that was ONE time!" he replied in mock defiance.

"One time too much. Had that been a Gravios, you would have been creamed."

"At least I can be certain that you would weep at my corpse," he said with a big grin, placing an arm around her shoulders and hugging her playfully.

"Get off me, you Conga!" she shouted, now obviously angry.

Ezakiel cleared his voice in an audible way, like a father does when his children are bickering.

"Kids, if you don't stop fighting this instant, you will be grounded for a whole week!" he shouted in mock anger, his eyes glistening with amusement.

The two quickly separated, still smiling.

"Sure thing, pop," Dalmin said mockingly.

Ezakiel smiled to himself as he turned around to take in the view.

The village of Pokke was built on a large hill covered with snow. It overlooked a vast landscape.

To the south he could see the desert, an inhospitable sea of sand and rocks, with just a few oases' dotting its surface. Those who didn't know their way around there had almost no chance to survive.

To the east there was a wide swamp, a dangerous place, home to various deadly monsters. At night, for some reason, venomous gases broke free from underground, poisoning the very soil.

To the west was a large forest, brimming with life and monsters alike. It was easy to get lost in its depths, for the trees stood tall and close together. The adjacent area was mostly hills, a nice, open place to hunt. Vast meadows, no dangers from the territory itself, hardly a chance to be surprised.

To the north, towering high above the land, stood the Nameless Mountain. It's white heights were a challenge for hunters, due to the cold and harsh winds and the constant threat of blizzards or even avalanches.

And beyond that lay the volcanic belt. Ezakiel frowned at the thought of this most dangerous of places. Spacious caverns with molten lava flowing freely, the heat was more than any human could bear for more than a few hours. Luckily, the Guild's alchemists invented a wondrous potion that totally blinded out the heat for about a day.

The greatest threats of this region, however, were the monsters. Ezakiel has never heard of a place that infested with them. They were unusually strong and ferocious, even for their kind, as if the volcano was their stronghold.

He was just looking towards the mountain again when he saw movement on the road.

"Guys, I think they're coming," he called.

His friends snapped out of their bickering and stepped to their leader's side.

"She's s'posed to be along, right?" Dalmin asked.

"Yes, she is. You haven't forgotten, have you?" Zeshen said in a resigned tone.

"Who, me? Never!" he retorted, boastful as ever.

"I wonder how we will recognize her," Ezakiel muttered, more to himself than to his friends.

"C'mon, she's like royalty. Princess Reena's prolly dressed all flashy, like," Dalmin said.

The trade caravan from Kokoto was very close now. The first cart already passed the gates.

_She'll be here any minute._ Ezakiel thought.

Suddenly, a blue figure jumped off one of the carriages and, after scanning the area, started straight towards the three hunters.

Dalmin grinned as he lowered his head towards Ezakiel's ear.

"Told ya she's flashy!" he whispered smugly.

She was a little taller than Zeshen and looked a few years younger than them, maybe in her early twenties. She had a pretty, round face framed with tufts of short, red hair. Green eyes that seemed to sparkle with life, drinking in the world around her. Her nose was small and pointy and her full lips were curved upwards in a confident smirk. Her lithe figure, not quite as curvy as Zeshen's, was clad in a mostly blue uniform with golden trim. She even wore a matching hat with a wide brim, complete with a long, white feather sticking in the hatband. The uniform consisted mostly of light, fine cotton that allowed her to fight nimbly, but hardly protected her body at all. On the belt that held together her knee-long wrap-around skirt she wore a decent, expensive looking sabre which, due to its size and weight, seemed inappropriate for fighting monsters, so it was likely just for show. A long, slender bow was slung over her shoulder, the quiver strapped to her back. A few more arrows were held in place on the inside of her calves by two short bandoleers.

She approached the group with a confident, almost challenging stride, swaying her hips with every step.

"Are you the ones I'm supposed to meet?" she asked.

"If you are Lady Reena," he replied.

"Please, just Reena's enough." She lifted her hat for a second. "I'm not that fond of my title. Only makes my name longer."

Ezakiel nodded. "I'm Ezakiel. Nice to meet you."

Dalmin rested his hands at his side, flashing a grin. "The name's Dalmin."

Zeshen allowed herself a tiny smile. "My name is Zeshen."

"Great!" Reena exclaimed with a big smile. "Now that we introduced ourselves..." she started, and smiled bashfully, scratching the back of her head. "What're we gonna do next?"

The three hunters looked at each other, none of them saying a word. Reena giggled in embarrassment.

Ezakiel thought for a second.

"First," he said, lifting a finger, "let's go and have breakfast."

Dalmin made a satisfied 'Humph!'

"Second," he lifted another finger, "while we're eating, we're gonna talk about your abilities, how to use you in battle and the like. Third," he continued, lifting yet another finger, "we will decide on what to hunt. Fourth," he lited his last finger, "we," he said, pointing to Dalmin, Zeshen and himself, "will go and accept a scouting quest in the area where your monster of choice lives, go ahead and wait outside of the village. Last, you take your quest and meet us outside," he finished, slapping his fist in his open hand.

"Got it!" Reena said.

"Then what're we waitin' for?" Dalmin exclaimed. "I'm starving here!"

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They decided to have breakfast at Dalmins home. Mostly because it was nearest, but also because he said that he already had something prepared and only needed to add a few things. He wasn't only a great eater, but also a gifted chef, and the one who was always in charge of food when they were out hunting.

"How unusually sharp of you to anticipate Ezakiel's decision," Zeshen said with _almost_ honest respect.

"Yeah, there's more to me than meets the eye," he said, grinning from ear to ear, winking at her.

"Actually," Ezakiel whispered to Reena, "when I came to get him today, he was making that for himself. I just dragged him along before he could eat it."

Reena giggled.

"What're you guys whisperin' about?" asked a curious Dalmin.

"Nothing," Ezakiel said, scratching his head, "right, Reena?"

"Right," she said with a snicker, "nothing at all."

Dalmin pointed a finger at them, opening and closing his mouth as if searching for a good reply.

"Be careful," he finally warned. "I'll prepare all your meals for the next week."

"I always am," Ezakiel replied cockily.

Reena gave Dalmin a confident smirk.

"And I'm sure they'll be great."

Dalmin grinned, and then turned around to disappear into the kitchen.

A few minutes later he came back with a huge tablet about half his size with four plates loaded on it. They contained a substantive meal. He put the first plate in front of his own seat, as always, and then gave the rest to the others.

Someway into the meal, after a few minutes of hungry silence, Ezakiel cleared his throat.

"Okay, attention everyone!" he said, getting it immediately.

"Let's discuss the oncoming hunt. First of all, Reena, tell us a bit about your abilities and equipment."

She nodded, straightening in her chair.

"As you can see, I'm mainly using a longbow, the "Dragon Bow Earth", and a steel sabre for close combat situations. I'm specialized on fighting from a distance, avoiding close combat as much as possible. I'm a decent archer, the best one on the shooting range," she said proudly.

"Shooting range, huh?" Ezakiel said, scratching his chin. "As valuable as the weapon training may be, actual hunting is something completely different. The greatest fencing skills are useless against a charging Tigrex, and you don't need that much accuracy to hit most monsters."

He paused, thinking for a moment.

"How many hunts have you been on so far? What's the most dangerous monster you hunted?" he asked suddenly.

Her pride deflated visibly.

"Only on very few. My biggest kill was a Velocidrome," she said quietly.

The three friends raised their eyebrows at that.

"Well," Dalmin said. "That ain't much, but hey, we all gotta start somewhere."

Reena could only nod.

Zeshen looked surprised.

"Isn't the "Dragon Bow Earth" made out of Lao Shan Lung?"

The others gave her an astounded look before turning their attention back to Reena, who looked even less enthusiastic.

"Well, yeah, but before you ask: I've never even seen one. Daddy bought me that bow." She seemed awkward now. "In fact, he bought me my entire equipment," she continued, lowering her eyes.

"I know what you must think of me right now: That I'm just a spoiled little girl, equipped with gear she lifted no finger for, needing the help of three great hunters just to go through her initiation," she continued sadly.

She then lifted her gaze again, a determined look on her face.

"I know that I'm not as experienced as I look, and I'm certainly not as experienced as you are, but I want to do my best at this. Don't get this the wrong way, I appreciate your help, but I want to do as much of this quest on my own as possible."

Ezakiel looked a little confused.

"That's the right spirit. But if you are so determined, why were you hiring us in the first place? The initiation isn't all that hard, at least not harder than the usual work you'll earn your bread with. In fact, it's easy in comparison."

"It was daddy's idea, actually," she said, sighing. "He's just too worried about me. Ever since I told him that I wanted to become a hunter, he tried to convince me not to. I know he does this because he loves me, but still..." She had a longing expression on her face. "I want to spread my own wings. I want to become everything he is. I want to be a legend, just like him."

Ezakiel remembered what they said about Head Administrator Temura.

"He repelled the legendary Fatalis at the ruins of Shrade, correct?"

She nodded.

The kingdom of Shrade has once been a great, thriving realm. That came to an end, however, as one day a fierce dragon appeared: Fatalis, the dragon of darkness. Its power was incredible, seemingly infinite, and it laid waste to the capitol of Shrade in a single night. The rest of the kingdom soon followed. The dragon, referred to by survivors as nothing short of a demon, disappeared soon after its work was done.

About twenty years ago, however, it returned, setting up its hoard in the still abandoned ruins of Castle Shrade, from whence it attacked the world once more.

It was when all hope seemed lost that a man appeared, clad head to toe in silver, who faced and fought that dragon, wounded it terribly and in the end forced it to retreat into the moonless night sky.

This man's name was Temura, Administrator of the Hunters Guild in Kokoto. He was the champion of the Guild, and after he repelled Fatalis, promoted to Head Administrator.

Ezakiel snapped out of his thoughts as Reena continued.

"I believe he's afraid of loosing me. He _did _loose his father on the hunt, so I can understand that he doesn't want me to take the same risk, but it is my wish."

Dalmin looked suprised. "Wait, did you say his father died? How?"

Zeshen shot him an angry glare, annoyed by his lack of tact. "Dalmin!"

"No, it's all right," Reena quickly interjected. "I barely knew him, and it has been fifteen years by now." She was quiet for a moment before continuing. "My grandfather, Mordecai, was a champion of the Guild as well. He was the one who trained my daddy to be as strong as he is now. One day he was requested to slay a monstrous beast in the deepest depths of the volcanic belt, a gigantic wyvern known as Akantor. This monster was far more powerful than the regular wyverns, swatting renowned hunters like flies. All hopes rested on his shoulders, but even though the Akantor was never to be seen or heard of again, my grandfather never returned. No one knows what became of him, but I believe that he slew the beast before succumbing to his wounds."

"Must have been tough for your father," Dalmin said.

"Indeed it was. He was mourning for several weeks, and after that, focused more on his administrative duties rather than hunting."

"So, to sum this up," Ezakiel said, "we were hired because your father is overprotective?"

She nodded.

"You could put it that way. You see, I'm no complete rookie. I can fend for myself; it's just that I never actually had a chance to prove it."

"Well now you'll have it," he said with a reassuring smile. "Let's get back to business."

The others nodded.

"What would you want your monster to be like? You know, big, small, fast, slow, whatever."

Reena giggled.

"You sound like some kind of waiter, taking my order."

"We have a lot of beasts on our menu, so feel free to chose." he replied with a grin.

"Well..." she said, lost in thought. "Since I'm an archer, I'd like my monster to be fat and slow, like a perfect target."

Zeshen started to ponder.

"Fat and slow..."

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Dalmin asked.

"I know," Ezakiel said, nodding to himself. "Khezu."

Reena seemed hesitant.

"Are you sure? I heard it's pretty powerful."

Indeed a Khezu was no easy foe. It was a large, plump wyvern with a thick, flabby skin. It was pretty slow, especially in comparison to other wyverns, but it had an extraordinary power in return, the power of lightning. A Khezu could charge up tremendous amounts of electricity in its skin and release it in its close vicinity, which is a great threat for any close combat fighters, since there was hardly enough time to get away from it when you're not observing it very closely. Also, it was able to shoot spheres of lightning out of its maw, which made it dangerous for ranged fighters as well. It's most dangerous feat, however, was its roar. It was so loud and piercing that those who take the brunt of it were immobilized for a short period of time, giving it enough time to finish them off. Fortunately, the Guild came up with a great and simple solution: Earplugs. These small, flexible balls of Khezu-flab were stuffed in your ears to muffle every sound.

"If you use earplugs, it is a lot easier. Its roar can no longer harm you and you have a great opportunity to attack, too," Ezakiel assured her.

"Well, if you say so," Reena said, sounding more at ease.

"I do. In fact, if you keep your focus up, you can easily do it on your own."

"Really?" Reena exclaimed excitedly. "No kidding?"

"Not at all. With earplugs, an archer has little to be afraid about when fighting a Khezu. Just stay to its side or back all the time. It can be a little tiring, but if you have the stamina it's no problem."

"That would be great. Allright, Khezu it is then." Reena pumped her fist in the air, making the others smile.

"Okay," Dalmin suddenly said, "now that that's taken care of, eat up!"

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	3. Initiation Part One

In this chapter things start to heat up! Part 2 will be up before long, so sit tight. Please read and review. I really need your feedback on this. Even a simple "That was good" will do.

And again, don't mind a few typos.

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter

**Chapter three: Initiation (Part one)**

Ezakiel Zeshen and Dalmin entered the Guild Hall. The bulletin board on which the quests were hung out stood right beside the entrance. Basically it consisted mostly of a large wooden board with dozens of small sheets of paper pinned to it. On these papers the conditions of the quest were listed: A short description of what to do, the reward and the place where the quest is to be fulfilled. The three hunters soon found what they were looking for, for on one paper it said that a Khezu was obstructing hunting in the mountains near Pokke. The client probably was an inexperienced hunter who works alone and thus stood no chance against the monster.

Ezakiel put the paper back on the upper-right corner of the board and went to the counter. The receptionist from the day before was there again and looked at them with her typical smile.

"Greetings, hunters," she greeted. "Have you decided on a quest?"

"Indeed," Ezakiel said with a nod. "We would like to do some scouting in the mountains."

She seemed surprised. "We have many quests for experienced Hunters. Why would you want to go on a scouting mission?"

"It appears to us as if there are rather few quests in the mountains near Pokke, even though normally there are more monsters than we can hunt. We want to update the bulletin board to a more recent status."

"And bash the occasional beastie in the meantime," Dalmin said with a smile.

"Very well, as you wish," the receptionist said. "The reward will be 3000 Zeni, as always. Good hunting!"

The three hunters nodded and left the Guild Hall.

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Reena stood at the marketplace to wait for the others. She had been looking through the offered products and bought a few. One of them was a bottle of perfume, a rare luxury in a remote place like Pokke. It was an intensive odour, but at the same time not obtrusive, made of some kind of mountain herb. She quickly put on a bit and enjoyed the nice scent. It couldn't hurt to smell good while hunting, after all.

She was just looking at the offerings of a merchant for hunting equipment when Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen returned.

"Yo, Reena. We found somethin'!" Dalmin hollered from afar. She hastily put her treasure in one of her pockets and turned around.

Ezakiel ordered his friends to get earplugs and other necessary items and then addressed Reena. "We found a quest with a Khezu. It hangs in the upper-right corner of the bulletin board in the Guild Hall. Go get it before it's gone. The fee is 500 Zeni. Do you have that much?"

She simply nodded. Since she was from a wealthy family, money never was a problem. At that moment she carried about 40000 Zeni which she saved from her pocket money.

Ezakiel returned her nod. "Good. The hunt takes place in the mountains, so prepare for unpleasant temperatures. We'll go and buy the necessary supplies, then leave the village through the northern entrance. Once you're ready, just follow the path. You'll find us then."

"Alright, until then!" she said, turned on the heel and headed to the Guild Hall.

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Upon her arrival she searched the bulletin board. The paper hung just where Ezakiel said it would. She took it and went to the counter. The woman at the desk eyed her thoroughly but of course didn't recognize her.

"Greetings," she said. "Are you new in the village? If so, I'd need to see your Guild Card."

"Um," Reena started, "actually, I don't have one. I came here for my initiation."

The receptionist raised her eyebrows. "Really? With your equipment I expected you to be a member of the Guild already." Reena stifled a sigh, and the woman continued. "Oh well, whatever. Then show me what you have decided to hunt."

Reena gave her the paper and after examining it she nodded. "Very well. A Khezu is an unusual choice for an initiation, but that is not my problem. When you return, bring me some proof of your victory. In this case a piece of skin should suffice. If you manage to do that, you will be accepted into the ranks of the Hunters Guild. Good hunting."

"Thank you! Until then, farewell," Reena said. She didn't like how this woman had pronounced _when you return_, as if she really wanted to say_ if you return._

_I'll show you, you snipe! _She grumbled silently as she leaved the Guild Hall.

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She approached a group of erratic boulders, located near the northern road. Ezakiel stood there, leaning his back against it. He noticed her in the same instant she noticed him and knocked against the stone with his gauntlet. Dalmin and Zeshen stepped out of their shelter behind it.

"Is that woman always so mean or does she just not like rookies?" Rena asked instead of a greeting and portrayed the short conversation to them.

Dalmin exploded in roaring laughter and held his stomach. "You just saw her from her best side! Just wait how she goes when you throw a Blangonga off a cliff. I swear, someday someone's gonna hire us to hunt _her._" The others started to laugh as well.

Ezakiel clapped his hands upon regaining his breath. "Okay, guys. Let's get going lest we'll be seen together." With that they started towards the mountain.

"How long will this hunt take anyway?" Reena asked.

Zeshen put a hand on her chin and looked to the summit. "It should take about two days to reach the mountain and begin our ascend. We know some safe paths that make this ordeal a lot easier. The hunt itself is difficult to assess, but it shouldn't take longer than three days. All in all about a week, I think."

Reena was shocked upon hearing that. "A whole week? I've never been out hunting for so long!"

Ezakiel raised his hands helplessly. "That's very common for your average quest. We've even been hunting for two weeks once."

Dalmin grinned. "Oh yeah, I remember that one all right," he said and slammed his fist on his chest plate. "That was when we've been hunting that Gravios in the volcanic belt. The damn critter was pretty beaten and hightailed it outta there. Tried every trick in the book, like hidin' in the lava, flyin' over ridges and even diggin' itself in and actin' like a rock. We got it in the end, though, 'cuz rocks don't usually bleed."

Ezakiel nodded. "This hunt takes so long because Khezus are cave-dwellers. The mountain is full of cave-systems, and the descriptions on the note were also quite useless. We gotta find it first, and that takes time.

Reena sighed in defeat.

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The journey was quite eventless. They marched the entire first day and about half of the second before they reached the mountain and immediately began their ascend. This proved to be a lot less exhausting than Reena had feared, for the paths Zeshen mentioned earlier led up in serpentines, thus they didn't have to actually climb. They spent their time with stories of their hunts and talked about hunting, monsters and the life in the city. At the dawn of the third day they finally stood before the entrance to a cave with walls covered in ice.

Reena felt a chill run down her spine at the mere though of going in there. "Is Khezu in there?" she asked unenthusiastically.

Ezakiel nodded. "Maybe. Like I said, the mountain is full of caves. This is just were we start looking."

Reena sighed. "I hope we get this over with fast. I'm getting cold from merely looking into it."

"Then take one of these potions," he said and handed her a tiny red bottle with just enough liquid for one sip. It was a so called hot drink, conceived by the alchemists of the Guild to help hunters endure cold temperatures for a long time. There were also cool drinks, which worked just as well in great heat. Both lasted about a day per bottle.

She took the bottle gratefully, pulled out the cork and drank. Immediately a comfy warmth spread over her entire body. "Ah, that feels good…" she moaned delighted. The others drank a hot drink as well. With that done they made their way into the cave.

After a short while they suddenly heard a strange chirping sound that seemed to come straight out of the wall. Reena looked around, frightened. "What's that sound?"

Ezakiels face lighted up. "Maybe this hunt won't take as long after all."

"What do you mean?"

"This is the cry of Khezu-larvae. Khezus lay their eggs in ice walls like these here, where they hatch and grow. After only about four years they're adult. They grow quite quickly due to their very flexible bodies.

"And what does that have to do with our hunt?" Reena asked clueless.

"Simple," he said in a pontificating tone. "Khezus always lay more than one egg at once. Since the larvae's keep growing, they soon need more space. Then they dig deeper into the ice. You can't hear them anymore when they do that. This happens about a week after hatching. This chirping means that a pretty fresh nest is nearby since we can still hear them. The Khezu that laid these eggs should still be around, they don't exactly like to travel, you know."

Dalmin crossed his arms over his chest and addressed Ezakiel. "Whaddaya mean, shall we take 'em out?"

"Of course," Ezakiel answered. "We can't let these monsters grow up and kill people. You know what to do."

Reena raised her eyebrows in wonder. "And what would that be?"

Dalmin grinned at her. "Wait and see."

Suddenly Zeshen drew one of her swords and started to walk along the wall, hitting it with her blade every few steps to listen to the sound. Eventually she hit a spot that sounded distinctly hollow. She took a few steps back and gestured towards the wall with her free hand. Dalmin chuckled and readied his gunlance.

Ezakiel pulled Reena back a bit and told her not to move. She watched the giant aiming. Suddenly he thrust his Weapon into the wall and pulled the trigger on the handle.

A loud explosion disturbed the silence and shattered ice flew around everywhere. When her ears stopped ringing, she noticed that the chirping had become a hoarse, many-voiced screeching. She stepped closer and looked in the hole Dalmin blasted in the wall.

Inside the wall she saw four small white _things _with flabby, slimy skin which reminded her of giant maggots. They opened and closed their maws continuously, which were already filled with rows of sharp teeth. Their legs and wings were still undeveloped, only small bulbs on their bodies showed where they would once be. The sight was so disgusting that she had to turn away to prevent nausea.

"Nasty, ain't they?" Dalmin asked cheerful, obviously unfazed by these abominations. "Snappy, too. Here, watch this!" With a grin he held his fist in the hole, waited a few seconds and pulled it out again.

A Khezu-Larvae dangled from his arm, trying to dig its teeth into the solid rock. When Dalmin saw her disgusted expression, he wiggled his arm, causing the slimy thing to wobble. Reena turned away, retching.

"Get rid of that! I'm gonna vomit!" she screamed. Dalmin bellowed his deafening laugh again.

"That's enough, Dalmin," Zeshen said annoyed. "End it."

Still grinning, he plucked the squirming beast off his arm and tossed it back in the hole. Then he drew his weapon again and pointed the muzzle at it. Ezakiel pulled Reena back again.

Dalmin grinned at them one more time. "You ready?" With that said he pulled the trigger again, but this time he held it.

A hissing sound could be heard, and at the tip of the lance a short, red-glowing beam appeared, growing for about three seconds. Suddenly a blinding flash of light burst out and a deafening din made them shudder. Flames shot out of the hole, licking at the shield Dalmin held protectively in front of his body.

After a while the mist cleared, and Dalmin, hurled against the wall by both the recoil and the shockwave, got back up on his feet. He opened his gunlance just over the handle, causing a small, empty shell to be ejected, and put in a new one, which he took out of a pocket at his hip, made out of stone like the rest of his armour. He then strapped his weapons on his back again and put his fists at his hips triumphantly. "That's it!" he declared grinning.

Reena stood there, dumbfounded, and stared at him with big eyes. "WOW!" was everything she could say. Zeshen interrupted her marvelling by snapping at Dalmin. "Stop gloating and move. It's quite possible that the Khezu heard that too, and I don't want to face it in this narrow tunnel."

Still smiling, he bowed mockingly went on. The others followed him.

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The cave eventually led to a large cavern. A narrow stone ledge screwed its way up towards a wide hole in the ceiling. It also led down, but ended about two meters above the ground. In the middle of the cave was a large heap of snow. It was obviously empty and had no other exit besides the one they came through, so they decided to make their ascend towards the hole.

Once they arrived at the surface, Ezakiel looked down again and seemed to ponder about something. "This looks like the ideal hoard for a Khezu. It could easily come and go through this hole without having to go all the way through the caves. Even though that's where they live, they usually hunt outside since they can smell their prey better that way. That's what our friend is most likely doing right now.

Reena looked around nervously. She couldn't help it to feel watched, but of course that was nonsense. _Khezus don't have eyes, so they can't watch you. They smell their prey._

For some reason this thought disturbed her, but she couldn't lay a finger on it. She looked around again but couldn't make out anything, neither on the snow around them nor on the cliffs behind her. But she could swear that she heard something, and it wasn't the wind.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Ezakiel called her back to the group, for while she was searching the area they already marched on without noticing that she was left behind. She scolded herself for her innattention and made her way to them.

She could only take one step before she heard a deafening screech clanging from the rocks. She looked up in fear. A huge, red body seemed to literally drop from the sky.

Straight towards Reena.

The monster spread its wings to slow its descent. Reena quickly jumped back to avoid being squashed but thus came dangerously close to the edge of the hole. She gazed down the abyss and shuddered.

"Watch out!" Ezakiel roared.

She whirled around just in time to see the red Khezu stop flapping its wings. It dropped the last few meters with its wings out far. When it slammed to the ground it emitted a strong gust of wind that hurled Reena off her feet.

In this instant the whole world seemed to pass by her in slow motion. She could see the monster towering before her, a gigantic red mass of fat, and even though it still stumbled back to its feet it seemed to move away from her. Suddenly her point of view lowered.

It was then that she realized that she dropped down the hole – and to death.


	4. Initiation Part Two

Finally, here goes some serious action. This is my very first battle scene. I really need your feedback, so read & review, please.

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter.

**Chapter four****: Initiation (Part Two)**

Bewildered, Ezakiel had to watch Reena fall, shoved down by the very beast that was staggering back to its feet before them. She hadn't even screamed. It just happened so fast.

He didn't even think about the fact that their mission was a failure due to Reenas death or that her father would ruin their careers. Reena had fallen because he hadn't looked out for her. The responsibility as well as the guilt was his and his alone.

_No, not alone._

The Khezu stood back up and faced the hole, probably to go and get its prey. Ezakiel stared at the monster as if to burn it to ashes by his mere gaze. The cold biting his limbs, the wind tearing at him, all was forgotten, void. He perceived nothing except the Khezu that killed Reena, the beast he wanted to watch dying.

He pulled his sword out of its sheath, roared like a wounded bull and charged at the red abomination with the fierceness of a thunderstorm. Zeshen was but a step behind him, the slender blades spread out wide, and Dalmin rushed ahead as if the massive armour had no weight. His roar would have honoured the Gravios in whose shell he was clad.

Ezakiel reached the Khezu first. The monster had just turned towards them when his steel cleaved down. The blade cut deep into the joint of its wing but couldn't severe it due to the thick layer of fat. It roared in pain and went down to its knees. In that instant Zeshen appeared to its left and started to hack away at the thin skin that span across the actual wing. Meanwhile, Dalmin engaged it head-on and thrust his gunlance straight in its face, but the rocky tip, albeit sharp and wielded with great force, merely left a scratch on the far too elastic skin.

The Khezu seemed to realize that it was about to get thrown into the hole itself. It pulled back its head, inhaled and let out a bloodcurdling howl. Ezakiel felt as if his head was torn asunder from within. Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of the scream he collapsed on his knees, dropped his sword and pressed his hands against his ears. The others weren't better of, either.

Making good use of this opportunity, the Khezu cowered for a second and then leaped forward with a powerful wing beat. Dalmin, who was still standing in front of it, was smashed back a few steps by the impact. The monster landed about ten meters behind the group and turned around again.

In the meanwhile the hunters regained the control over their bodies. Ezakiel forced back his wrath, for blind fury would be a deadly mistake against this opponent. "Put in your earplugs!", he shouted to his comrades and quickly took two flabby bulbs of white fat out of a pocket on his belt and stuffed them in his ears. With that, the world grew silent.

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Reena still experienced her fall as if in slow motion. She knew that it could take only seconds before she would be crushed on the rocks beneath her, but at the same time minutes seemed to pass without her descending at all. The large heap of snow she was dropping towards would do little to slow her down. She was doomed and she knew it.

_Shoved into a hole by a Khezu. What a pitiful end, _she thought indignantly. _Are these supposed to be my last thoughts? It's unbelievable! Here I am, mere meters away from death and still I can't think of something better than this!_ Time seemed to return to normal and just a second later she felt the cold of the snow on her back.

The impact smashed the wind out of her, but for some odd reason sooner than it should have and somehow… different. She had thought that massive rock would be hard and solid, but that which she fell on was soft, flexible and somewhat slippy, though it still shook her very bones. The strange something slowed her fall remarkably, then stopped it and before she could grasp what was happening threw her off again. She fell once more, but only a few feet, and landed unpleasantly on her butt. This time it _was _rock and a terrible pain shot through her body.

With a moan she staggered back to her feet, holding her aching back. It was then that she realized that she had survived. She had dropped about twenty meters to the ground and was still alive! Whatever was hidden in the snow had saved her live.

However, just as a smile was about to appear on her face, said something moved and her smile became a grimace when she saw _what_ just "saved" her. Beneath the innocent white of the snow an also white figure could be seen, plump and with a very short tail, covered in a thick, flabby hide of fat.

The white Khezu stood erect and started to sniff around. Immediately his eyeless head pointed at Reena, who realized in shock that she should have foreseen this encounter. Actually, she should have been more surprised about the red one, for the quest-description had said nothing about red and the larvae's they had found in the wall had been white as well. It was most likely that the red Khezu had found them by coincidence.

Suddenly a very inappropriate smile formed on her lips. _So you're the one I have to hunt._ She took the earplugs out of her pocket, put them in and readied her bow with determination. With her right hand she pulled out an arrow and inserted it.

"Just you and me", she said, even though she couldn't hear herself. "Come on! Test me!" With these words she let go of the arrow and began her initiation.

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Again the three hunters charged ahead, but this time they had a plan. Dalmin got its attention with shouts and furious swearing while Ezakiel and Zeshen attacked the flanks. Ezakiel was to its right again, cutting deep into the wing time and time again. The skin that span over the actual wing was thick with fat, but it stood no chance agains the razor-sharp steel. The Khezu roared in pain and anger, but due to their earplugs they remained unharmed.

Zeshen had taken to slashing away at its thick side. Her short swords did little damage, but with each strike small bits of fat were cut loose. She had to literally dig her way into the beast, but she did that bloody work with pleasure. She would make this monster pay for Reenas death with every gash.

Dalmin thrust again, but was still unable to hurt it. Frustrated, he had to accept that his weapon was just too blunt. He raised his shield as the Khezu snapped at his unprotected face and was pushed back by the force of the attack. Then he had an idea. Stepping forward again, he simply smashed the shield in the monsters face with all his might. That did hurt, for the Khezu staggered back a few steps. Blood flowed from its maw and Dalmin could see that it had lost a few teeth.

Suddenly the monster cowered again, charged up electric energy and hurled itself towards Zeshen. The huntress ducked close to the ground to evade the jolting creature. When she regained her footing and turned back to her enemy, it was already preparing another attack.

Ezakiel instinctively screamed a warning, but not even he himself could hear it. He ran forward as fast as he could, but he knew that he wouldn't reach her in time. The Khezu stretched its neck and shot a ball of pure lightning at her.

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The arrow hit the monster square in the face, at the spot that would be called "between the eyes" if it only had any, and got stuck in the fat. The Khezu didn't even seem to notice it, though, for it still sniffed around, even though it had long since found her. Reena began to circle around it, firing another arrow while moving.

This hit seemed to convince the monster that it was actually engaged in combat, for it leaped forward to crush its opponent. Reena sprinted to the side and avoided the attack with ease. Quickly she distanced herself from it and shot it in its side.

_Just stay to its side or back all the time. It can be a little tiring, but if you have the stamina it's no problem._ Keeping Ezakiels advice in her mind, she continued her strategy. Arrow after arrow struck the beast, but they couldn't penetrate the flabby skin deep enough to deal serious injuries. The Khezu itself attacked more fiercely now, using its flexible neck like a whip, and more than once Reena had to jump aside to avoid a bolt of lightning. She always had to stay neither to close nor too far so she could circle around it effectively and still be out of its range.

Again lightning danced over the fat creature, but this time it leaped forward. Reena had just enough time to roll out of the way as the Monster hit the ground only about a meter away from her. Even from this distance she could feel the raw energy emanating from its body, for her whole body seemed to jiggle and strands of her hair started to rise on their own accord. She immediately stepped back again and continued her assault.

Before long the Khezu was riddled with arrows like a hellish pincushion and bled from numerous small wounds, but that was hardly enough to injure this colossus, let alone stop it. Determined, she send another arrow at it that stung in its neck and reached for another one.

However, she grasped nothing but air.

Bewildered, she noticed that she didn't have a single arrow left.

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Ezakiel pumped his legs as fast as he could, but it was futile. The bolt of lightning rushed forward, ready to roast her.

Dalmin suddenly appeared beside her, shoved her to the ground and raised his shield in the last possible instant. The bolt slammed against it, but since both the shield and the armour were made of rock, the electricity couldn't spread properly, so Dalmin was mostly spared. Zeshen jumped back to her feet and hit his arm with her sword lightly since he couldn't hear her thanks anyway.

When Ezakiel came to a halt beside them, the Khezu shot again and Dalmins shield deflected the lightning like before. Since the Khezu couldn't tell whether its attacks had any effect, it just kept firing. Ezakiel knocked Dalmin on his shoulder to get his attention, and Zeshen looked at him as well. Quickly he took out one earplug and gestured towards his friends to follow suit.

"Okay, listen", he said when they could understand him. "We can't do much damage…" He interrupted himself and jumped to the side to avoid another bolt of lightning that was aiming at him. "…in close combat", he continued. "Dalmin, we need your wyvern-fire!"

The giant nodded. "I'd love to, but I don't have enough time to aim."

"Why do you need to aim at this thing in the first place?" Zeshen asked.

Hastily, they jumped back a bit as the Khezu charged up and leaped at them again. Apparently it came to the conclusion that its attacks couldn't have been effective since its prey was still able to talk.

"Normal Khezus ain't takin' well to fire", Dalmin answered with some delay. "But red ones are almost immune to it. Their damn skin just absorbs it." He avoided a bite that could easily have torn his head off and countered with his shield, but missed. "I'd need to hit it in its maw, but that's easier said than done."

Ezakiel and Zeshen slashed at its wings again, but even though they made it flightless, they couldn't injure it severely. It pulled back its head again and the three hunters stuffed their earplugs back just in time. After the howl subsided, they took them out again.

"You gotta get me an opportunity!" he roared. "Hold its head!"

Suddenly the Khezu snapped its head around and elongated it to more than trice its normal size. It slammed it against Dalmin, but he was prepared. He dug his boots into the ground raised his shield and rammed it at the monsters skull with brute force. Stunned by the power of the impact, the Khezu stumbled back, shaking its head and Ezakiel and Zeshen jumped forward.

Ezakiel flicked his sword around so that he held it like a dagger and thrust it into the monsters neck with all his strength. Zeshen followed suit and together they managed to hold it down for a short while.

That was all that Dalmin needed. He pulled the trigger of his gunlace, held it and shoved the weapon into the Khezu's screaming maw. The wyvern-fire was unleashed into its body like a thunderclap and dealt horrible damage to the beasts' innards. The elastic body _inflated_ as the immeasurable force erupted.

When Dalmin pulled his weapon back, the Khezu was already dead. Ezakiel and Zeshen finished their struggle as well and regained their breath. They pulled out the earplugs, but before they could say anything, they heard the scream of yet another Khezu. It came out of the hole. Without further ado they ran forward.

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Reena desperately drew her sword. It had a good blade, was balanced and light, the perfect weapon for fencing, but against the monster that towered before her it looked like a mere toy. She decided to make the best out of her situation and started to circle around her enemy again.

When the Khezu leapt towards her once more, she jumped to the side, then dove under its wing and struck at its flank. The sword cut into the fat, but it couldn't get through it. She quickly slashed a second and third time without dealing any visible damage and then had to retreat again before she was struck by the lightning the monster was charging up already. When she turned back to it, she could see that the wounds she inflicted didn't even bleed.

In this moment she realized that it was a futile struggle. Her body still ached from her fall and the only weapon she had was useless. She glanced at the cave through which they entered the cavern earlier. The ledge that led to it ended just about two meters above the ground and she was certain that she could climb the wall to its edge, but doubted that the Khezu would give her that much time. Escape was not an option.

She was about to give up when she suddenly remembered one of the lectures her father gave her. _Don't think about your opportunities, use them! And if you don't have any, create some! Most battles are decided in your head! _It was as if she could hear her father's voice in her mind, scolding her. She regained her composure and decided to follow his advice.

While holding her sword in front of her with her right hand, she searched her pockets with her left one, looking for anything of use, and avoided the attacks of the Khezu as effortlessly as before. Her hand got a hold on something small and when she pulled it out, she saw the bottle of perfume she had bought in Pokke. She was just about to stuff it back when she had an idea.

After avoiding another electric leap, she retreated to the wall and sprayed a lot of perfume on the rock. The Khezu identified her by her smell and she had worn this scent all day. If her guess was right, then the monster followed this odour. She sheathed her sword, stepped aside and readied herself.

As expected, the Khezu jumped forward to rend asunder its seemingly motionless prey and rammed its head against the wall with great force. Teeth splintered as the beast staggered backwards, screeching. As it lowered its destroyed maw, Reena stepped in front of it and shattered the bottle on its nose.

The intensively smelling liquid ran into its nostrils and flooded its sense of smell. As if every single nerve in its body was ablaze, it staggered and roared furiously, flailing around wildly.

Since the most developed sense of a Khezu is the sense of smell, the effect of her attack was an equivalent to blinding it. Reena decided to top it off and took out one of the arrows around her left calve. These arrows were custom-made and she saved them for special occasions such as this one. The arrow she shot now was a sonic arrow that emitted a loud, piercing sound upon impact, just like the sonic bombs hunters normally use.

She inserted it in her bow and shot it at the monsters head and disabled its last working sense. It stumbled back again and somehow managed to trip over its own feet. Reena dropped her bow, drew her sword and charged ahead. With a scream she grabbed the hilt with both hands and thrust it deep into the monsters chest. There she left it and quickly retreated.

Thinking that its opponent still held on to that sword, the Khezu gathered all of its power. Blue lightning danced over its skin and with a roar it unleashed it. Thus it made the last mistake of its life.

The blubber of a Khezu didn't only conduct electricity; it also isolated the rest of its body. The sword in its chest broke through this isolation and thus led the energy into its innards.

The Khezu led out a terrifying howl of agony that seemed to make Reenas blood freeze solid as it burned itself from within. Twitching wildly, it squirmed on the ground, but it was in vain. When the din of the lightning subsided, there was but a scorched heap of fat left of it, with steam coming out of its maw.

It was over.

Reena pulled her sword out of the carcass and used it to cut off a broad stripe of skin which she stuffed in her pocket. She took out the earplugs and savoured the natural silence. When the adrenaline wore off, she could feel again that every muscle in her body was aching. She realized what she had just done, how often she avoided a grizzly death at the last possible second. Her hands began to tremble and then she collapsed on her knees.

Ezakiels relieved calling as he finally found her unharmed already eluded her.


	5. A new beginning

Enter the next chapter! I've decided to write longer chaps, so be prepared to wait a bit longer. Anyway, this chap is devoted wholly to plot with some new characters. Have fun!

And once more, please review! I know you're already reading it, but I need your feedback. It isn't that much work to post a simple comment and I'd really appreciate it.

EDIT: Now I got one! Sincere thanks to Lord Voldios for his encouraging words. It is a reward for me to know that you like what I do.

EDIT2: After finding out that the capitols name is actually Dondruma, I changed it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter

**Chapter Five: A new beginning**

Slowly, Reena ascended from the darkness that surrounded her. She could see a weak shimmer of light through her closed eyelids. Muted noise came to her ears. Now that she knew she was somewhat awake, the impressions quickly became clearer.

She opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was her sore muscles all over her body. The second was Dalmins grin.

"Oy, princess! Well, you awake?" he asked happily but in a volume that hurt in her ears. She frowned at him.

Ezakiel appeared at his friend's side and pushed him aside with more than just gentle force. He looked at her worriedly. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," she said weakly and rose. She was hurting all over and Ezakiel had to hold her shoulder to prevent her from falling back. Dizzily she looked around.

She was sitting on the barren ground at the foot of the mountain and was wrapped in a blanket. Ezakiel and Dalmin blocked her view to the sides and just a few feet away Zeshen was busy with the campfire. She looked briefly at Reena and smiled, then nodded and turned her attention back to her work.

"How long have I been asleep?" Reena asked.

"About a day", Ezakiel answered. "You've been pretty exhausted after your battle with the Khezu. Ah, yes, by the way, you did a great job with that. You've defeated it all by yourself. With that you reached your goal, right?"

Instantly her memories of the battle returned. Now that the fat monster was no longer standing before her, it seemed to be a dream. Hesitantly, she reached into her pocket, ready to wake up anytime.

She could feel something flabby and pulled it out. It was a rolled-up, burned, bloody piece of Khezu-skin. She looked at the disgusting thing with a smile, as if it was a nice birthday present.

"It's still some time 'till dinner", Dalmin said with a grin. "But if you're that hungry, then feel free to eat up!"

Confused, she looked at the stripe of skin, then at Dalmin, and her face darkened. She unrolled the skin and slapped it across his face, leaving a trail of slime on his cheek. He made a disgusted sound and stumbled to his backpack to get a towel, swearing all the way. He didn't find one, though, and ended up rubbing his face clean with the backpack itself. Ezakiel cracked up laughing and Zeshen shook her head with a smile.

"Well, now I want to know how you finished it off", Ezakiel said and Zeshen, who was done with the fire, came over to listen as well. "After all, it was only slightly injured but at the same time almost roasted. How did you do that?"

Reena told them about her battle and strategy. When she had finished, the three hunters looked at her in surprise. "You mean…", Dalmin said slowly. "…that we would only have needed to ram a sword into its body to make it kill itself?"

"Basically, yes", she answered.

"Who would've thought it's that easy to kill a Khezu!" The giant crossed his arms.

"We should tell the Guild", Zeshen remarked. "That would make future encounters with Khezus much easier."

"You mean _I _should tell them", Reena interjected. "It would be pretty suspicious if you could report about how I cleared my initiation. Besides, it was my idea in the first place."

Ezakiel scratched his chin. "Right, that fame goes to you." Then he smiled. "You fought a monster for the first time and already found a great new strategy. If you keep that pace up, you'll raise your Guild-Rank in no time."

Reena blushed at his praise and quickly changed the subject. "Um, how did you kill the red one? You haven't told me about that yet."

Even if it seemed impossible, Dalmins Grin widened again, and Reena thought that someday he will swallow his own ears. "I fed it with my Wyvern Fire. Blew up like a balloon. Don't think it'd do that great on a children's birthday party, though." He then flexed his muscles and slammed his fist on his breastplate.

Zeshen slapped him on his bald skull. "Stop gloating. If Ezakiel and I hadn't fixed its head, it would've bitten off yours." He slumped his shoulders and rubbed the spot where Zeshen had hit him.

"It was a wild battle", Ezakiel said. "We had to keep it from jumping after you or it might have eaten you." Something seemed to suddenly come to his mind. "By the way, how did you survive that fall? Don't get me wrong, but actually, you should be dead."

"I fell into that heap of snow where the Khezu slept in. Its skin cushioned my fall." She scratched the back of her head with a crooked smile. "I think I owe it my life." Ezakiel raised his eyebrows, and for the first time since she knew him he didn't seem to know what to say.

Zeshen interrupted the silence. "Dalmin, the fire is ready."

"Ah, great. I'll go to work immediately." He went to his backpack and took out a large piece of meat that was carefully wrapped in a wide piece of cloth. "We found a few wild Popos when we carried you down the mountain just a few hours ago. Meat stays fresh forever in this cold", he explained while putting up the skewer.

"I'll make a Spice-soup along with it. There are more'n enough herbs around here and water's no problem because of all that snow."

While the giant prepared the meal with unforeseen care and Zeshen helped him with the soup, Ezakiel decided the next steps. "I suggest that we take a rest after dinner. Reena could use some more sleep. Dalmin, you take the first watch, I take the second and Zeshen the third."

Reena noticed that he voluntarily chose the most unpleasant watch for himself, for the second one parted the sleep. _He really is a good leader._

The meal was ready soon after, and once they had eaten their fill Reena curled up in her blanket and fell into a deep sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

Two days later they reached the erratic boulders where Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen had waited for Reena six days ago. They decided that she should go directly to the village while they camped there for another day.

When Reena entered the Guild Hall she approached the desk. The receptionist she talked to before her journey was standing behind it and smiled her fake smile again.

"Greetings, Hunter. I see you have survived your quest. Now I need some sort of evidence to be sure that you actually did kill the Khezu."

Reena decided to give her a piece of her mind, pulled out the stripe of Khezu-skin and dropped it on one of the papers on the desk. It was almost done and the ink was still wet, so when the flabby thing came down on it, it ruined about half an hour of work. Now the woman had to start all over again._ Serves you right_!

Reena gave her the cockiest look she could muster and placed her fists at her sides. "This should be proof enough. A piece of skin, just like you suggested."

The smile stayed on the woman's lips as if it was sewed to them, but her gaze was dripping with poison. A young hunter who approached them with a small piece of paper in his hand quickly about-faced and studied the blackboard as if he found something extraordinary interesting on it.

However, before the silent duel could escalate, a tall woman who seemed to be in her late forties stepped close to them. She had long, jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes. Her body was covered in a long, open white coat with orange lining that reached her knees, with a black shirt beneath it. She wore white linen pants and leather boots of the same colour.

It was the usual Uniform of Administrators of the Hunters Guild.

"Ah, Lady Reena! It's nice to see you in good health", she said honestly. "I'm Erris, Administrator of the Hunters Guild branch in Pokke." The two shook hands. "I received a letter from Head Administrator Temura just the other day. Your father seemed to be very worried and asked me to keep him up-to-date regarding your initiation. I'm glad to be able to tell him about your success."

The receptionist inhaled sharply and became as white as a sheet when she realized just _who_ she was dealing with. Reena couldn't resist the urge to give her a wicked smile and wink. Erris noticed that and raised an eyebrow in wonder.

"Is something the matter, Mira? You look pale. Aren't you feeling well?" Mira regained a bit of her composure but was still pale. "No, Mylady, I'm fine", she said hoarsely.

"Wonderful!" Erris stated with a smile. Then she turned back to Reena. "Now, then, let's go to my office. I'd like to talk to you before we get to business."

Reena followed the Administrator into a spacious office. The room was scarcely furnished: A massive granite Desk was placed in the middle, with an opulent arm chair made of wood and bone behind it. A similar, albeit not as valuable chair was standing in front of the desk, apparently for visitors. The walls were covered with trophies, mostly the heads of monsters. Among others, Reena could see a Blangonga and a Rathalos, but the actual centrepiece came into view the instant one stepped into the office.

The front wall was occupied by the perfectly preserved head of a Tigrex. Blue and yellow scales covered the skull and the maw was slightly opened to reveal rows of long, razor-sharp teeth with eerie red stains on them. The eyes looked like they were alive, even though they were probably made of glass. Even in death it seemed dreadful, and Reena could perfectly understand why even experienced hunters were afraid of this beast that was said to be wild, brutal and unpredictable in battle.

"Please, have a seat", Erris said and gestured towards the visitors chair while making herself comfortable in her own. Reena sat down on the comfy piece of furniture and looked at the Tigrex once more. She cringed in shock when the Wyvern seemed to glare at her with pure hatred. She noticed that the eyes were precisely arranged in a way that made them stare at anyone who sat in this chair.

Erris smiled when she saw Reenas reaction. "Impressive, isn't it? Don't worry; it can't do any harm anymore. Except frightening visitors, of course. Your reaction is nothing special.

Reena looked at it uneasily. "Is that real blood on its teeth?"

"It fought rather aggressively before I put it into this state."

"You killed it? But that means…"

The Administrator nodded grimly, slipped out of the right sleeve of her coat and put her right hand on the desk. The shirt she wore beneath was sleeveless, so Reena could see the tight netting of scars that reached from her wrist up to her shoulder.

"It simply bit through my long sword, so I had only my hunting knife left. I managed to slit its throat with it."

"And how did you get these scars?" Reena asked while trying to fight the nausea this sight caused her.

Erris cracked a grim smile. "Its shell was way too hard. I had to cut its throat from within.

Reena paled instantly. The thought of sticking her arm into the maw of a raging Tigrex to slit its throat with a hunting knife while the monster bit her made her blood freeze solid.

"But enough of old horrors. The present ones are bad enough. Speaking of which, how was your hunt? You don't look chewed on at all, so I surmise it went well."

Reena decided to ignore the Administrators strange humour and told her about her battle. When she eventually explained how she killed the Khezu, Erris burst out laughing.

"You used perfume to make a Khezu commit suicide! That's the craziest story I ever heard since my battle against the Tigrex!" She calmed down a few seconds later and looked intensely at Reena. "Does this really work? The electricity kills it when you pierce its fat with a steel blade?"

Reena nodded. "It's quite simple actually. You just have to come up with leaving your weapon in its body."

"It's good to know that today's youth knows how to use their heads. My son has a knack for unusual solutions too, you know. He's a hunter as well and, with his friends, gives the monsters a hard time. Unfortunately they are about the only ones who think beyond their weapon. I held too many speeches at graves to count, but in most cases the Hunters died because of their lack of creativity. I'm glad that there are still people you can depend on even in difficult times."

Reena blushed again upon being praised so generously. Her father was always pretty reserved when it came to her abilities. He probably wanted to discourage her with that to make her abandon her dream of becoming a hunter. If it weren't for her best friend Liam who always supported and encouraged her, she knew she would have given in to his urging.

_But that's over now._

Erris didn't seem to expect an answer, for she continued. "Well then, I don't want to keep you waiting any longer. After all, you're here to be accepted into the Guild, not to listen to my rambling about the present dunces." She rose from her chair and Reena followed suit.

"Before I include you into the ranks of the Guild, you have to swear an oath. Please do not forget that it will bind you to the Guild for the rest of your life. Break it and you will be cast out and left without an opportunity to renew it. You would be excommunicated and marked as a traitor forever. Do you accept this?"

"Yes, I do", Reena said determined.

Erris gave her a curt smile, then stood erect and looked deep into her eyes. Reena followed her example and returned the gaze.

"Reena, are you willing to devote your life to the people?" the older woman asked with an authority in her voice which Reena had only heard in that of her father before.

"Aye!" she answered with resolve in the official fashion.

"Are you willing to be ever faithful to the statutes of the Hunters Guild?

"Aye!"

"Are you willing to carry out your duties to the best of your abilities?

"Aye!"

"Are you willing to pledge these words on your life?"

"Aye!"

"Then pledge!"

Reena took a deep breath before she continued. "I am willing to devote my life to the people, to be ever faithful to the statutes of the Hunters Guild and to carry out my duties to the best of my abilities. That I pledge on my life!"

Administrator Erris nodded gracefully at her. "Then you shall be a hunter from this day forth. I welcome you into the ranks of the Guild of the Hunters. The words have been spoken. Now let your deeds follow in their footsteps."

"I will."

Erris' features lost their formal tension, making way for a cheerful expression. "And that's all there is to it. You did great!" She gestured to Reena to get seated again, dropped in her own chair and took something out of a drawer and gave it to her.

It was a small card carved in bone, polished till it shined. The symbol of the Hunters Guild, an archaic red cross on a black background, was artfully painted on the right half of it. Engraved on the left half was Reenas name and also a row of three stars.

These stars showed her rank in the Guild and defined which quests she may accept and which she may not. There were a total of eight stars, which meant eight difficulty levels and six ranks. With rank one she was allowed to accept quests of the first three levels. Every rise in rank added one more star to her card. Higher-ranked quests could only be accepted if she was in company of a member of the Guild who had the necessary rank.

These rules had saved the lives of many hunters in the past, for the differences between each level were distinct. One-star-quests for instance were mostly about the gathering of specific items in monster-infested areas such as mushrooms or herbs, or the hunting of small monsters like Velocipreys, which were hardly more than an annoyance for experienced hunters.

On higher levels things started to get serious. Strong monsters had to be slain, which was mostly a task for a group of hunters, although there were a few cases of hunters who could do them on their own, like Erris.

However, the most dangerous Monsters were the elder dragons such as the Kushala Daora Ezakiel slew. Only the best were allowed to challenge these beasts and even those didn't always return.

Reena put the card in her pocket. "Thank you, Administrator Erris. I won't disappoint you", she said with a smile.

"I'm sure you won't." The woman said. "I can see a lot of potential in you and I have a knack for that. I will watch your progress with interest." The hunter was aware that these words were not only a praise but a warning as well.

"Well then", Erris said as she rose again. "Everything's said now. If you have any questions, ask them now. Otherwise, an employer is waiting at the entrance of the Guild Hall to bring to the house we prepared for you."

"There is indeed something." Reenas lips formed a small, somewhat wicked smile, making the Administrator raise her eyebrows. "The woman at the reception, the one you called Mira…"

xxxxxxxxxx

Reena showed Mira a sugar-sweet smile when she went past her and left the Guild Hall. A man in the uniform of employers of the Guild was waiting outside. When she recognized him, her face brightened instantly. She closed the distance between them almost running.

"Liam! It's so nice to see you", she called from afar.

On the first glance Liam was a plain man. His brown hair was short and neatly done. He had brown eyes that didn't miss a thing and his voice was as calm and collected as usual. Liam was the most patient person she knew. The two of them had been friends since their early childhood and were as close as siblings. He was an employer and ambassador of the Guild even though he was no hunter and also a master of the sword who was said to be the best fencer of the continent. However, above all he was the secret right hand of her father, serving him unofficially in family-matters. It had also been him who hired Ezakiel and his friends to help her with her initiation.

She embraced him curtly and then took a step back. "What are you doing here?"

He had his hands folded in front of him and stood very erect, a posture that looked stiff and military, but Reena knew that he stood like this when he was relaxed. "I'm supposed to lead you to the House you will live in during your stay in Pokke."

"So Erris was referring to you when she mentioned an employer", Reena said.

"That's right. She told me to wait for you the instance you were seen on the road." His features relaxed. "I'm glad you're well. I've been very worried about you."

"Thanks, but that really wasn't necessary. You know I can take care of myself."

"But I also know that you tend to take unnecessary risks", he chided her. She pouted her lips and pretended to be hurt, but that ruse had long since stopped working. "Come, let's go. It's a bit of a way to the house. We can talk just as well while walking."

He led her along a small path. The houses of the villagers were standing at both sides of it. "Now tell me. How was the hunt?"

"It was… unusual", she answered.

"What do you mean with that?"

"Well, things went a bit haywire."

He looked at her chidingly. "I wouldn't like to pull every single word out of your nose, so please, be a bit more precise."

She sighed and told him what happened in the mountains. His frown grew more and more worried with every word she spoke. Her fall and the second Khezu in particular made him ill at ease. When she had finished, he was silent for a while.

"You are aware that your father won't like to hear that, no?" he eventually asked and looked at her. "That was very careless. In fact it was pure luck you survived."

She lowered her head in guilt. "I know. I made some misftakes. Without Ezakiel and his friends I would have been killed for sure. Two Khezus would have attacked me and eaten me or fed me to their larvaes."

"Now, now, don't be so pessimistic. You should only care about what did happen, not what could have happened", he said in a calming voice. "In the end it only matters that you defeated a Khezu all by yourself, defying all the difficulties you had to face. Your companions protected you, just as they were supposed to, but you could still prove your abilities. I say this mission was a perfect success and I will tell your father the same thing. I'm truly proud of you, Reena."

She smiled thankfully. They continued walking in silence for a while. It was no awkward silence, though; there was just no need for words. Eventually Liam walked towards a house that lay a bit more distant from the road. It was also taller than the average.

"Here we are", Liam said when he came to a halt at the door. "This house once belonged to one of the Hunters of the village, a man named Nathan. He was a renowned hunter, but he died fighting the Akantor about sixteen years ago. Ever since his death it is given to hunters who stay here for a while. The Guild kept it in good shape so you should find everything you need."

Reena looked at the house, her mind wandering. "Akantor, huh? The monster that killed my grandfather." Hesitantly she opened the door and looked inside. "Did he have a family?" she asked eventually.

"I'm not completely sure, but I think so." He thought for a moment. "Ah, yes, I have one more question. Where are Ezakiel and the others? I still have to reward them."

She looked back at him. "They wanted to camp outside another day so we aren't seen travelling together."

"A good idea. Well, then I will find out were they live and bring the reward there."

Reena failed to stifle a yawn. Even though she didn't really have to exert herself this day, the excitement of her acceptance in the Guild was taking its toll and the prospect of sleeping in a real bed after almost a week of cold earth seemed like a paradise.

Liam laughed quietly. "You look tired. It would be best if you got some rest. I have to wait until the day after tomorrow anyway, since I'm leaving with the trade-caravan. We can talk more some other time.

"Yeah, you're right", she said weakly. "I'll go hit the sack. Until tomorrow, then!"

He nodded and stepped back. "Good night, Reena." Then he turned and walked away.

Reena looked at the front of the house once more, and then entered. It was spacious and comfy, with walls and floor made of dark wood and several carpets lying around. There even were curtains, which couldn't really be taken for granted for a remote village such as Pokke.

When she finally reached the bedroom, she marvelled at the huge bed that took up half of the room on its own. She would have loved to simply collapse on it then and there, but forced herself to change into the thick, woollen attire that hung in the wardrobe and replaced usual nightgowns in this cold area. She left the pieces of her armour where she had dropped them, put her hat on one of the bedposts and crawled under the blankets.

She fell asleep the instance her head touched the pillow.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ezakiel looked at the stars while absentmindedly polishing his sword with a hand full of moss. About half an hour ago the moon had shown itself behind the horizon and the three friends had made a fire behind the rocks, where it couldn't be seen from the village. Since they hadn't really done anything all day, no one was tired, despite the advanced hour.

There was just nothing to do. Had there been a ceiling above them, it surely would've dropped on their heads by now. Ezakiel kept polishing, even though the blade already shined like it was just forged and reflected the moonlight. His thoughts went to Reena as well as another woman. He knew they had met by now and wondered what might have happened.

"Ezakiel!" Dalmin yelled, apparently not for the first time. "You still with us?" Ezakiel flinched startled and almost severed one of his fingers. He laboriously sheathed his sword again. "Excuse me, what did you say?" he asked.

Dalmin rolled his eyes. "You can dream all you want when you sleep. I asked you what you're thinking' about."

Ezakiel looked up again. "I'm wondering how their meeting went."

"She'll be accepted in the Guild already and getting some rest by now", Zeshen said. "She decently cleared the initiation and defeated a powerful monster. That's all she had to do."

"You're right", Ezakiel said. "She'll be having a restful sleep."

"Except…", Dalmin added with a grin, "… she's dreaming of a Tigrex chewing on her arm."

Ezakiel had to laugh. "I'm sure she was pretty startled when she sat in that chair. That happens to every new one."

"Why is Erris doing that in the first place?" Zeshen asked.

"She want's the new members to realize that the life as a hunter is no picnic. You can be killed anytime. That's why she shows her scars to them. They are the perfect proof for the risk we take every day."

Dalmin scratched his chin for a while. "I really gotta hand it to her that she didn't retire after that. Must've been one big trauma."

Ezakiel nodded. "Indeed she looks at her wound with mixed feelings. On one hand, it reminds her of a horrible experience and is also a symbol to have failed in a way. On the other hand, however, she sees it as an incentive to excel herself time and time again. That's why she's out hunting every minute she can spare."

The giant burst out laughing. "Well, she sure has surpassed us. She probably could've taken on both Khezus at once and told us a story 'bout _real_ trouble while she's at it."

"What do you think she'll think about Reena?" Zeshen asked.

"I'm positive they get along just fine", Ezakiel answered smiling. "She likes it when you use your head. 'Hunting is a form of art, so be creative!' she keeps saying. I bet she enjoyed Reenas strategy."

After that, everyone was musing for a while. Eventually Dalmin cleared his throat. "By the way, guys, what should we do with all that money we'll get tomorrow. After all, that'll be 31000 Zeni per head."

Ezakiel looked at him suprisedly and Zeshen didn't seem to have expected that question as well. Indeed he hadn't thought at all about the reward yet, which was the very reason they accepted this quest in the first place. He thought about it a bit. "I think we should save it for the time being. You never know when you might need it.

Dalmin nodded. "Maybe we get to see a Lao Shan Lung some day. We could use that money for equipment like that."

That made sense. Though the equipment of hunters was made mainly of the monsters they hunted, the actual crafting was done by experts of the Guild who bill every assignment. Since the monsters were exploited by specialized teams of the Guild, all the materials went to it. However, the hunters who killed the monster had the first priority when it came to the creation of equipment of these materials. That was supposed to spur them to hunt the more dangerous monsters, for these gave better materials.

Of course the value rose with the quality. Lao Shan Lung-resources were the most expensive ones by far, since these elder dragons were said to be the most powerful monsters yet alive. Ezakiel doubted that even the huge amount of money they would get the next day would suffice to buy such equipment.

"I heard that their horns can be crafted into outstanding swords", he mused. "I could use one of those."

"And I could use a whole armour. That would be even sturdier than this one" Dalmin said.

Zeshen snorted. "Such equipment is far too heavy. I stick to this one. That's what I fight best with."

Dalmin grinned at her with exaggerated cheerfulness. "Well, then you won't need your share of the reward. You're free to give everything to me. Lao Shan Lung is costly."

"Forget it!" she hissed.

"Don't be so mad, you'll only get wrinkles", he continued teasing.

She glared daggers at him, and he was smart enough to keep it at that.

Ezakiel just rolled his eyes. "This banter will get us nowhere. We just save the money. There will be a use for it some day. End of the discussion."

They started to think for themselves again. Ezakeils mind wandered to his mother. She would be overjoyed to see him again and ask one question after another. He wondered what he was supposed to tell her, for he hadn't told her about the secret mission. She would be quite angry that he broke one of the rules of the Guild, even though he hadn't assisted Reena in her actual battle. He decided to keep that a secret and only tell her about the scouting quest and his encounter with the red Khezu. With that he wouldn't have lied to her.

Eventually Zeshen interrupted the silence. "Have you considered what we should do next?"

"Not really", Ezakiel answered. "We should rest for a day or two and stock up on supplies. After that we can choose something from the bulletin board."

Dalmin scratched his chin in thought. "What do you say, should we ask Reena whether she wants to come along?"

Ezakiel and Zeshen looked at him in surprise. "Where did that come from?" the latter asked.

"Well, you see, we could use her help and it's also more fun. A little cover-fire ain't bad and we could show her a trick or two. We'd all gain somethin'"

Ezakiel considered that. "I admit, she could be a help to us, but nevertheless, she is just a rookie. The quests we accept are a bit too much for her yet."

"We can't keep an eye on her all the time, Dalmin", Zeshen said. "She could make a mistake again, as she did with the perfume. Without the tremendous luck she had to fall on a Khezu, she would have died before even entering the battle."

"Yeah, but she still beat that thing all by herself after that" Dalmin retorted. "She sure got talent."

Ezakiel was still not convinced. "Albeit all the threat they pose, Khezus are relatively easy opponents. Other monsters, such as Diablos or Shogun Ceanataurs, are a whole other story. She just isn't ready yet."

"We were no different when we started", the giant said. "We were uncertain as well, and we had no one to help us. I'd say she's better off. After all, she'll have to face those beasts sooner or later anyway; we can just as well help her. A little assistance at the beginning can't hurt, right?"

Nobody could object that. After some time Ezakiel nodded. "I guess we could ask her."

Dalmin grinned like a Cheshire Popo and Zeshen looked up to

Ezakiel nodded. "You're right. Let's put up the usual guards. You never know what might lurk in the darkness."

xxxxxxxxxx

They left the campsite first thing in the morning and headed towards the village. On the way there they walked past the great pasture where the village's Popos were kept. Ezakiel watched the big, woolly animals with the huge tusks while they were walking through them. Some were already pretty large and would give a great roast soon.

Suddenly they heard loud shouting, followed by some swearing. It came from a young woman in thick woollen clothes who seemed to have fallen on her butt rather unpleasantly. She held a big cast-iron bucket in her hand which she flailed around wildly, as if to threaten someone with it.

The target of her anger was a large Popo that stood before her, grazing peacefully while ignoring her completely. The shepherdess cursed at the animal once more before getting back up on her feet. However, when she tried to put the bucket below its udder again to milk it, it turned around casually and pushed her to the ground again with its rear.

"Argh, how dare you, you rotten beast!" she shouted angrily. She seemed to attempt to attack it, but then it turned to face her and lowered its head to her eye level. "What are you looking at?" she asked irritated. Somehow her voice seemed familiar to Ezakiel, but he couldn't put a finger on it yet. Thus he decided to kick back and enjoy the show.

Then a little girl approached the two wranglers. She was a shepherdess as well, Ezakiel knew since he had seen her several times before whenever they came back from a quest. Her name was Aki. "Ooh, my poor little Popo! Did the mean woman bother you?" she asked soothingly. The huge animal turned towards her and rubbed its face on her chest, baaing fretfully while she patted its head, speaking comforting words in its ears with a honeyed voice.

The older woman didn't like to hear that. "What did you say!? How dare you! That thing knocked me over!"

Aki glared at her accusingly while putting her arms around the Popos head. "Popos are very kind animals. If he did that, it's only because you were mean to him. So apologize now!"

"Like I would!" the other shepherdess shouted. "I won't crawl before a stupid animal. If you are so insolent one more time, you'll regret it!"

Ezakiel had heard enough. He and his friends came closer. "Please, calm down already", he said when they reached them. "It didn't do that out of malice."

Aki saw him first and waved at him. While he waved back, the other woman turned around. "Now who asked…" She didn't continue. She instantly paled upon recognizing him and he as well couldn't believe what he saw.

It was Mira, the receptionist!

While Ezakiel tried to understand what she was doing on the pastures, Dalmin started to laugh wildly and pointed his finger at her. Even Zeshen couldn't stifle a laugh.

"What happened to you?" Ezakiel asked. That made Mira blush and run away towards the stables.

Aki looked at her confusedly until she disappeared inside the building, and then faced the hunters. "Do you know that crone?" she asked.

"You bet we do", Ezakiel answered. "She worked at the reception of the Guild Hall." He scratched the back of his head. "What is she doing here anyway?"

The girl put a hand on her mouth to hide her giggle. "She came here yesterday. The Administrator herself brought her here." Ezakiel raised his eyebrows in surprise while she continued. "She had on that weird dress that was way to thin for this cold and trembled like an aspen leaf. She never stopped grumbling."

Ezakiel was still confused. "Why did the Administrator bring her here in the first place? Did she say something?"

Aki nodded eagerly. "I listened when she talked to Mommy. She said there had been complaints about that woman and she had to work somewhere else."

When Dalmin heard that, he grinned slyly. "Do you think Reena got somethin' to do with this?" he asked. Ezakeil only shrugged, but it definitely sounded like something she'd do.

"She also said…" Aki continued, "…that we shouldn't go easy on her. Somehow she looked angry at that crone." She looked at them curiously. "Did she do something bad?"

Ezakiel nodded. "She was also mean to us and some other hunters. I think a friend of ours snitched on her."

The girl looked indignant. "Serves her right, then. We'll let her have it, that's for sure!"

Zeshen looked to the stables. "It looks like she's shirking."

"Oh, no she won't!" Aki said determined and followed her gaze. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. "Then again, since she is at the stables already, she can just as well tidy them out. We don't want her to get bored."

Ezakiel memorized never to get on her bad side and smiled nervously. Aki took a step back. "Sorry, but I gotta tell Mommy to tell that crone to tidy out the stables. See ya!" With that she turned around and ran towards the main building of the farm.

"Run her off her feet!" Dalmin yelled after her.

Aki turned around again and waved. "You got it! Toodles!" She then continued running.

They continued their way back to the village. Zeshen shook her head. "I almost can't believe it."

Dalmin grinned. "You really got it right, you know?" She looked at him in wonder and he continued. "Everything can happen."

xxxxxxxxxx

Shortly after that they entered the Guild hall. They approached the counter where they were greeted by a young woman with short, blond hair.

"Greetings, hunters", she began with an honest smile that didn't end at the corners of her mouth like that of her predecessor. "How can I help you?"

Ezakiel raised his hand to greet her. "Hello. Say, do you happen to have started here yesterday?"

Her eyes grew very wide. "How do you know that?"

Dalmin grinned. "We met your predecessor on the Popo-pastures."

"We were told that she had started working there just the other day", Zeshen added.

"That's one way to put it", Dalmin mused.

The woman's smile faded a little. "The Administrator told me that she had neglected her duties." She seemed a bit ill at ease. "I didn't know you can get moved to the pastures for that."

"Don't worry about that, it hardly ever happens. She was really horrible and used to discourage hunters before they set off. That had to be punished." He thought for a moment. "Since we're going to meet a lot in the future, I think we should introduce ourselves. I'm Ezakiel. This is Dalmin and Zeshen." The three nodded politely.

"My name is Liva", she said. "Nice to meet you." She made a quick curtsy. "However, I take it you aren't here only to chat, right? Do you want to go on a quest?"

Ezakiel shook his head. "We just returned from a scouting mission in the mountains."

"I see. Well then, please report what you have found there." She opened a small notebook. The sheets inside were the same that hung on the bulletin board.

"We found two Khezus, a red one and a white one. The red one attacked us, so we had to kill it. The white one was, to our surprise, already dead. It looked burned, but we didn't meet any other hunters. That's all."

Liva put a hand to her chin and looked at them in thought. "The white one was dead, you say?" She took a large file out of the desk and browsed through it. "Ah, here it is. That Khezu was killed by an aspirant named Reena. She completed her initiation with this and returned yesterday."

Ezakiel pretended to be surprised. "A Khezu for the initiation? Not bad at all. The way it looked, I thought it was the work of professional hunters."

"Be that as it may", Liva said. "I still have to check what will be your reward for the red Khezu since you haven't accepted a specific quest for it. That might take some time since we have to find it first. But the scouting mission is all set. That would be 1000 Zeni each. Here you go!" She gave them three small bags of coins.

"Thank you kindly", Ezakiel said. "We'll return before long for the next quest. See you later." The three hunters waved in parting and left the building.

Dalmin scratched his chin. "Now there's just one thing left."

Ezakiel nodded. "That's right, the reward."

"I decided to leave it in your houses for you already."

They turned around startled to face the person that appeared behind them. It was the employer that hired them a week ago to look after Reena. He had put on a professional smile and stood very erect.

"Lady Reena already informed me about the events of your quest. You fulfilled your mission to her utmost satisfaction. I can assure you that Head Administrator Temura will share that opinion once I report to him."

Ezakiel lowered his head with respect. "It was a joy and an honour."

"That is good to hear." His smile grew more serious. "I still have to remind you that you must not say anything about this affair to anyone. This Assignment has never officially existed."

"Naturally", Ezakiel assured and Dalmin added: "We'll take that secret to our graves!"

"Excellent", the man said. "If you would excuse me, I still have to make preparations for my return to Dondruma. There are matters I have to attend to that don't allow further delays."

Dondruma was the capitol of the continent Minegarde. The continental HQ of the Hunters Guild, where Head Administrator Temura resided, was there as well.

Something came to his mind. "One moment, please." The employer nodded, but didn't say anything. "Could you please tell us where Lady Reena will be living during her stay here? We'd like to invite her to hunt alongside us."

"Of course. She moved to a house at the outskirts of the village. It once belonged to a renowned hunter named Nathan. Do you know it?"

_Nathan!_

Ezakiel could feel his good mood vanishing. His friends looked at him worriedly.

_Of all the houses…_

He didn't think that Erris had something to do with this. She would've picked another one.

"Is something the matter?" the employer asked.

"No"; Ezakiel answered and shook his head. "No, everything's fine. Thank you for the information."

The man saw through the lie instantly, but decided that this was none of his business. "You're welcome. If you have no other questions left, I would like to take my leave."

"Of course", he answered. "Thanks and have a good journey."

"I wish the same for you. Farewell." With that the employer turned around and left.

An eerie silence fell over the friends. Ezakiel tried to push back the sad memories. Even after all this time, the wound in his soul still bled.

"Are you all right?" Zeshen asked concerned.

He took a deep breath. "I'm fine. It's… long since past."

"Stop looking so gloomy! We should go back home and marvel at our fortunes!" Dalmin shouted cheerfully, obviously trying to lighten his mood.

Ezakiel nodded at him thankfully. "Then let's meet at the tavern in an hour. And after that we'll visit Reena."

The three hunters separated and went to their respective homes. Ezakiel looked to the eternal clouds of smoke to the south.

"After all this time…" he said silently to himself. He sighed once more and then continued walking.

xxxxxxxxxx

Reena woke up around noon, when the pale winter sun shined at her face through the open window. She stretched with pleasure and considered turning around again, but a whole day of sleep seemed enough to her. In fact she felt as if she could tear out trees with her bare hands. So she rose from the bed, stretched once more and put on a set of thick woollen clothes that hung in the wardrobe.

Then she strolled into the kitchen, with a small pantry adjacent to it. A great variety of food was lined up on the shelves. Thanks to the cold climate of this region, it took forever for something to spoil. She could see several sorts of meat, vegetables, bread, sausage and so on. Her stomach started rumbling instantly. It was then that she realized her greatest problem: She couldn't cook at all.

She scratched the back of her head in desperation. _I should be able to make something out of this. After all, hunger is the best chef._ She was just about to take a loaf of bread from the shelf when she heard a knock on the door_._

"One moment, please!" she called, put the bred back and went to the door. When she opened, she was surprised. Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen nodded at her happily.

"Hello, Reena", Ezakiel greeted. "May we come in?"

"Sure", she said. "Make yourselves at home."

They entered the House and got seated at the kitchen table. "It's nice to see you", she said. "What gives me the pleasure?"

"First of all, the hunger", Dalmin said grinning. "Have you eaten already?"

"No, not yet", she answered.

He looked to the pantry. "Is something in there?"

"A lot."

"Well, then I shall get to work immediately." He took a big tray that lay on top of one of the cupboard and went into the small room. From the kitchen she could hear his appreciating whistle. "You could feed a whole flock of Popos with this!" he shouted happily.

Zeshen smiled. "Then maybe it's enough for you as well."

His bald skull appeared through the door. "Say that again and you get the leftovers!" She smiled and shook her head at that, but Ezakiel didn't even seem to have noticed their banter, as if he was lost in his own thoughts.

Reena crossed her arms and looked at the two hunters in front of her. "I hope you're not only here to freeload on me. What's up?"

"First of all, we wanted to check on you. How was yesterday?" Ezakiel asked.

She told them about her conversation with Administrator Erris and proudly showed them her Guild Card. While she reported, Dalmin came back with a fully loaded tray and started to prepare the meal.

"Did you like the Tigrex-Skull in her office?" the giant asked.

Immediately a chill ran down her spine. "I was totally shocked. I thought it wanted to eat me." The others laughed understandingly. She pondered for a second. "It tried that with the Administrator. Her blood still stains its teeth." Quickly she cast aside these thoughts, after all they were going to eat soon. She continued and told them how Liam had brought her there. However, she didn't say anything about her friendship with the employer. Liam wouldn't want her to tell his secret to everyone who asked.

Ezakiel nodded when she had finished. "So, what do you think of Erris?"

"She seems to have a pretty strong will if she could continue hunting after all she went through. But she really has a strange sense of humour. 'You don't look chewed on at all', oh come on! What am I supposed to answer to that?"

The friends started laughing and Reena joined a moment later. When they calmed down again, she asked: "But enough of that. For what other reason are you here?"

The three exchanged a quick glance before Ezakiel spoke. "Actually, we're here to ask you whether you'd like to join us on our next quest."

She looked at them, stunned for a second, and then grinned. "Of course! I'd love to!"

Ezakiel smiled. "Great! We could really use your help."

"So, what do you want to hunt?" she asked.

"We don't know just yet. First, we got to check the bulletin board."

Dalmin stepped at the table and put the plates on the table. The meal looked delicious, partly because he could use so many good ingredients. "Let's celebrate that with a fine meal!" he called.

After they had eaten for a while, Reena spoke up. "Say, do you happen to know what's up with this house? I was told that it belonged to a hunter who got killed by Akantor. Is that true?"

The kitchen grew deathly silent. Dalmin and Zeshen glanced nervously at Ezakiel who had closed his eyes. The fork in his hand dropped onto the plate as if he had forgotten about it. Reena realized that she had made a mistake and wanted to apologize.

However, before she could say anything, Ezakiel opened his eyes again. "Yes, it's true", he said. Pain and sadness resonated in his voice. "Sixteen years ago. Nathan. He departed with his group to slay the Akantor, but never returned." He closed his eyes again and took a deep breath.

"He was my father."

Aaaaaand done! Wow, what a revelation! Expect a lot of those in the future. The next chapter will be a hunt again, so look sharp. And it's just a few more chaps until the real plot kicks in…

Anyway, I hope you liked the longer chapter. Please tell me what you think about it, and if you have any piece of advice or constructive critics, feel free to review them.


	6. Desert encounters

Here I am again! Sorry for the late update, I didn't have the opportunity to work at a computer for several days straight. I'll make up for this by submitting the next chapter a lot earlier.

Now I want to thank my reviewers, for they really help me with my motivation to write.

Thanks to Hirof2 for his overall great rating and the will to endure longer periods of waiting.

Also thanks to Kuzosama for his faith in my work. I promise to see this through to the end.

And of course special thanks to LordVoldios for all his help.

This chap's gonna be special. Not only is it long again, part of it is co-written with Lord Voldios. There are several references to his "By Our Blades". I suggest you read that, for it's awesome.

Anyway, enter the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter. The characters Seid, Dante, Merquel and Vindel as well as the Desert Rose Hunters and the location Fort Eden are property of LordVoldios.

**Chapter six: Desert encounters**

Reena walked towards the Guild Hall, Ezakiel and his friends by her side. Her mind wandered back to the conversation they had the other day – and to what she learned about Ezakiel.

_---Flashback---_

"_I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up", Reena said worriedly._

_Ezakiel only shook his head. "It's all right. I can't change the past, that much I know. I just try to always do my best to honour his name. That's my motivation as a hunter."_

"_To avenge him?"_

_Ezakiel closed his eyes. "That was the idea at first, yes. But soon I came to realize that revenge would bring me nowhere. It wouldn't return my father. Then we got the news that Mordecai slew the Akantor, and that was where the whole idea of revenge ended."_

_Reena didn't know what to reply to that, but he continued anyway. "I was ten when he died, eleven when Akantor died. I had a lot of time to think about it. I always wanted to follow in his footsteps, and his death only made me want that harder." He opened his eyes again. "Five years later, we completed our initiation together and started to rise in the ranks of the Hunters Guild. Ever since, I fought to honour him, but my own life has to go on, too."_

_---End Flashback---_

They had parted soon after that. There had been silence, and before it could get too awkward, Ezakiel suggested that they should meet here again the next morning to go to the Guild Hall together. Then they excused themselves and left. She was left wondering about his words for the rest of the day. _It must take quite a lot of resolve to get over the wish for revenge after such a loss._

She turned her attention back to the group. Dalmin and Zeshen were bickering over something again and Ezakiel rolled his eyes He seemed to be in a much better mood than he was the other day, probably because of his friend's distraction.

Soon they entered the Guild Hall. Liva saw them and immediately waved them over. "Greetings, Hunters", she said, but somehow her smile seemed slightly worried.

"Is something the matter?" asked Ezakiel.

She sighed. "Actually, yes. You see, we just received a letter from Fort Eden. Apparently they have trouble with a monster that continues to elude their grasp."

Ezakiel raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Fort Eden? Why in the world do they have problems with anything? I know of at least two Royals stationed there."

Reena was clueless as well. Everyone who had anything to do with the Guild knew the term "Royals". They were the most powerful and experienced hunters of all, the few who occupied the sixth and highest rank in the Guild. Each of them had a special name they were awarded upon attaining such an esteemed rank. For example, one of the more famous ones, Seid, was called the "Silver King" due to his shining silver armour. They also had an official title given to them by the Guild: Ashvelt.

Her father has been a Royal, Ashvelt "Windaxe" Temura, as well as her grandfather, Ashvelt "Dark Knight" Mordecai, but since Temura practically retired after her grandfather's death, he had long since abandoned that title. As far as she knew, there were ten of them at the moment, but she had no idea which of them was stationed in Eden.

"That's right", Liva continued. "Ashvelt "Sandstorm" Vindel and Ashvelt "Bloodhorn" Merquel are there right now, but the letter said that they 'have other matters to attend to'. The Desert Rose Hunters tried to pin the monster down, but they haven't been successful yet."

Dalmin scratched his chin. "What kind of Monster are we talking about, anyway?"

"It's a Monoblos, but not a normal one. They say it is white."

"Those are quite rare", Zeshen said. "They are said to be fierce fighters, even more so than the normal ones."

Reena was wondering. "But why are they sending letters to Pokke? We're not exactly close to the Desert."

Dalmin huffed. "Because the only village that's close enough is Randua. But that place is a dump. There are almost no hunters, and those who are are hardly experienced enough to feed the village." His voice was unusually angry, as if he was accusing the village for something. "I guess the only reason it still exists is because it's so close to Eden. The Desert Rose Hunters are a hundred times tougher than Randuas lazy lot."

"Dalmin, do you have aversions against this village or something?" Reena asked.

"Nah, it's nothing", he answered evasively. "Forget about it."

She frowned, but decided that he would tell her if it was important. Instead she addressed Liva again. "What about Kokoto? It's even closer, and there are some good hunters there."

"They received this letter, too."

"Eden seems pretty desperate about finding that monster", she mused. "Have there been any casualties among the Desert Rose Hunters?"

Ezakiel answered in Livas stead. "Most likely not. Ashvelt Vindel leads them, and he is known to be quite obliged to the well-being of his group. If there had been any casualties, he would have hunted it himself."

Zeshen nodded. "True, but that still might happen. I say we should accept this quest. This Monoblos sounds dangerous."

Ezakiel glanced at Reena, but before he could say anything, she spoke up. "Don't you dare reject me now. I'll come with you, and that's that."

He raised his hands in defence, the shadow of a resigned smile appearing on his lips. "I didn't say anything."

Liva nodded. "Very well, I'll register you immediately. But don't forget, this quest comes from Eden, so you will have to report to Ashvelt Vindel. He will also be the one to give you your reward."

Reena was confused. "Why him? I thought he is a Royal."

"Yes, but he is also the elder of Fort Eden."

She was baffled. _Two high ranked jobs at the same time? He must be on his feet all day! Talk about pressure…_

Liva continued. "I suggest you stop by there to get more details."

"And we can stock up there on supplies", Dalmin added. "There's no better place to prepare for a hunt in the desert than Fort Eden. The bazaar there offers everything one can wish for."

"You seem to know pretty much about that place", Reena said.

He didn't look too happy about that question. "Well, you know… oh, forget it. It doesn't matter now."

She was puzzled, but didn't ask further questions.

"Anyway, I suggest we prepare for our journey to Eden", Ezakiel said. "It's a long way to Eden, so let's get going."

They turned to leave the Guild Hall, but before they could make another step, they heard a disappointed squeal from behind them. Reena, Dalmin and Zeshen turned around again, but Ezakiel froze.

The person who just squealed was Administrator Erris herself.

"Ooh, don't tell me you're leaving again already. You've barely been here!" she said in that strange tone that one uses when they want to make someone feel bad and pity them. "You could at least stay for another day."

Ezakiel turned around, too, but only hesitantly. "I'm a hunter. I need to hunt", he said plainly.

"Sure, but you don't have to make such haste. Do you want to make your mother feel miserably?" she accused exaggeratedly.

"Of course not! Never!" he replied desperately.

Erris expression softened. "Aw, that's good to hear."

Before anyone could do or say anything, she walked over to him, hugged him and gave him a big kiss on his cheek.

Reena was shocked. What was going on here?

Erris noticed her astonished face and smiled while still holding on to Ezakiel. "What's wrong? I told you that my son is a hunter. Couldn't you tell?"

_Son!? The Administrator is Ezakiels mother!?_

Erris seemed to wonder. "By the way, what are you doing here with them anyway?"

Reena didn't know what to say, and the things she just saw and heard didn't help much, either, but luckily Zeshen answered for her. "We heard about her initiation the other day. She seemed smart, so we invited her on a quest."

Erris' face brightened and she absentmindedly tightened her embrace, making Ezakiel look even more uncomfortable. "That's great news. I'm sure you'll be a very great team. I hope you'll have some interesting stories to tell when you return."

Ezakiel spoke up. "But to return, we first have to leave. So could you please let go of me?"

Erris' good mood vanished and she looked at him with the unique mix of divine anger and indomitable authority only mothers are capable of and that no one dares to oppose. "Not until you promise me to stay another day. If necessary, I will keep holding on to you until the sun sets, so don't try to squirm out of it."

Ezakiel resigned. "All right, I promise. But we will be off first thing in the morning."

His mother instantly beamed again. "Good choice!" The fact that she practically forced him into this didn't seem to disturb her at all. She let go of him and he instantly took a deep breath.

Suddenly her face grew serious. "Just one thing. When you reach Fort Eden, you will meet Ashvelt Vindel, correct?" Ezakiel seemed puzzled, but nodded. So she continued. "You should be careful around him. He's quite infamous and said to be somewhat cruel. Ashvelt Merquel isn't much better. I'm not saying that they are dangerous or something, but you might get in trouble if you don't watch your manners. I've heard stories about Merquel. He's supposed to have beaten up a few hunters who insulted him." She looked sharply at Dalmin. "You in particular should not forget to show respect." He made a disgruntled face but kept quiet. Erris turned back to the others. "No matter their personality, they have done a lot for the Guild and the people, and they know it well. They demand the respect they deserve. Don't mess with them at any cost."

Reena was worried. "I always thought that Royals were all gallant knights or something. At least my father was like that, and I guess my grandfather too."

"Some of them are quite nice", she assured her. "Ashvelt "Silver King" Seid for instance is quite the nice guy. That and handsome, to boot." Ezakiel cleared his throat at her mothers swooning. She quickly snapped out of it. "Anyway, they are just like you and me, only much more experienced as hunters. Taking on a Tigrex wouldn't be a problem for any of them."

"What do you have to do to become a Royal?" Reena asked.

"If I recall correctly, Ashvelt Seid told me that he had to slay two Tigrex at once, and he did that _on his own_", Erris answered.

Reenas mouth gaped open. "Two at once? Is that even possible?"

"Apparently, yes. At least that's what he told me."

The four hunters were quite impressed, and rightly so. To be accepted into the Guild, one had to go through the initiation, during which they had to fight a strong monster. But to raise the Hunter-Rank, there were far tougher conditions. Firstly, one had to have slain some powerful beasts and proven them worthy of achieving the next rank. But that was just the qualification. After that came the trial. This is similar to the initiation, except that the Guild chooses the opponent. It is also a lot harder, for the higher the rank that is to be achieved, the stronger the monster.

"I never knew you met him", Ezakiel said.

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" she asked confusedly.

"No", he answered dryly.

"Oh well, it was no big deal. He comes here every now and then for quests. We've crossed paths and talked a bit. That's all. He left immediately after I gave him the reward."

Dalmin grinned. "He seems to have made quite the impact."

"Whatever are you implying? Sure, he was a nice guy and quite the looker, too, but that's all. I don't fall for just anyone."

"Anyway," Ezakiel interjected. "As interesting as this is, we need to get going. We still have a lot of ground to cover, so..."

Erris glare cut him off in mid-sentence. "I haven't forgotten your promise, young man. Once I'm finished here, we'll go home so I can attend you lovingly for the rest of the day. And before you even think about it: If I learn that you set off while I'm at work, I'll come after you and drag you back myself."

Ezakiel sighed in defeat.

xxxxxxxxxx

Reena awoke early, just before dawn. She wasted no time donning her gear and filling her pockets with everything she could need. They had spent about two hours buying necessary equipment such as hot drinks and cool drinks.

She decided that it was still early enough for a breakfast, so she took a loaf of bread and a large sausage out of the pantry and got seated at the kitchen-table. However, before she could start eating, she heard a firm knock on the door. Again.

_Will this happen every morning, now?_ She smiled at the thought and went to open the door. Zeshen was standing in front of her, apparently alone.

"Hey, Zeshen", she greeted. "I was just making breakfast. Do you want something, too?"

"Yes, thank you", the other woman answered.

They sat down in the kitchen. Reena cut off a few slices of bread and sausage and put them on a wooden plate between them. "What's up?" she asked while starting to eat.

"Ezakiel told me to pick you up. You don't know your way around here yet, so I'm supposed to lead you to the southern gate."

"Right now?"

"In theory, yes. But we don't have to rush. I came a little earlier to make sure you're ready, and you already are." Zeshen smiled a little. "Besides, Ezakiel will need some time to wake up Dalmin. He tends to oversleep."

Reena smiled as well. "I can totally imagine that." She thought for a moment. "By the way, just out of curiosity, how did you meet each other?"

Zeshen looked at her, revealing no emotions. "Why are you asking?"

"It's nothing big!" Reena quickly said. "I'm just curious, that's all."

"Well, I guess I could just as well tell you." She stopped for a second, probably thinking about how to say it. "I was six when I came to this village. Ezakiel and Dalmin were already best friends. They were a year older than I am, always playing hunter." She smiled reminiscently at the memories. "One day I approached them, and they let me play along. Ever since, we spent every bit of free time together. We prepared to become hunters, and about nine years ago we completed our initiation together."

"Oh, right. Ezakiel mentioned it", Reena said. "What did you hunt?"

"We hunted a Congalala. It was an easy enough opponent. Besides, I wanted to hunt one anyway."

"How comes?"

"You see, I was born in Kokoto. My mother, Keles, worked in the Guild Hall and my father, Karn, was a hunter. But he had no talent. One day he set off with a friend to hunt a Congalala. The battle didn't go well, and my father ended up with a crushed leg. It had to be amputated."

Reena nodded understandingly. "So you wanted to hunt one to get it back for that?"

"That's right."

"But how did you come here, then?" Reena asked confusedly. "Why didn't you stay in Kokoto?"

Zeshen didn't say anything for about a minute, then she sighed. "It's because of my mother. She… she stole some secret documents from the Guild and sold them to someone. I never found out what kind of documents these were, but they must have been pretty important. My mother was excommunicated and banished from the village. We never saw her again. The other villagers started to behave differently towards us because of that, and resentment turned to anger, then hatred."

Reena was shocked. "You had to flee from your home?"

"That's right. You can imagine what a journey that was: a small child and a one-legged man. We barely made it. If it hadn't been for a hunter we met halfway there, I'm sure we would have died."

"A hunter saved you?"

"Yes. We never saw any monsters; the fatigue was just too much, especially for my father. But this man, even though he said he was on the way to a hunt, helped us get to Pokke." Zeshen smiled again. "I remember how he supported my father with his left arm and carried me with his right. He kept that up all the way to the village."

Reena was quite touched by that. "Wow! That must have been a pretty decent man."

"Indeed he was, altruistic to the core." She paused for a second, then looked Reena deep in the eyes. "His name was Nathan."

Reenas eyes grew wide. She didn't know what to say. She knew that Ezakiels father was a good hunter, but this really impressed her.

Zeshen continued. "He abandoned his quest to help us get a footing in the village, found a house for us, even a job for my father, who is now working as an accountant for several of the merchants here. But most importantly, I met Ezakiel because of him."

Reena thought about what she had said. "So that's how it was."

Zeshen nodded. "Nathan really was our saviour. It has been a hard time for all of us when he died." She put her hands together and leaned back in her chair. "And that's about all there is to tell about me."

Reena smiled at her. "Thank you for telling me your story. I really appreciate your trust."

Zeshen seemed to blush slightly at that, but it was hard to tell because it was still barely dawn and the colour of her skin hid the blush effectively. "It's no great secret or something", she said evasively.

"But still, thank you", Reena insisted. Then her face grew a little darker. "I haven't been too lucky myself."

"What do you mean?"

"It's because of my parents. You know about my father. Well, my mother, Isabel, is kinda special, too. You see, in fact she is part of the old royal family." Zeshen raised her eyebrows at that, but said nothing, so Reena continued. "No one important, though. She's a cousin of a cousin of the queen." She giggled. "Since she would never have had a chance to claim the throne, she abandoned her family and duty altogether and became a receptionist at the Guild Hall in Dondruma. That's where she met my father. Soon after that she gave birth to me."

She paused a little. "My childhood has never been too happy. After all, I was one of those 'elite-children', so I never really had the opportunity to make any friends. The only one I ever had was Liam, the son of a colleague of my mother. He always supported me and comforted me when my father was angry again. He's like a big brother to me. He was also the one who gave me the opportunities to train to become a hunter by asking his mother to organize training lessons and the like. You see, I was really proud of my father, who was such a hero. Of course, when I was six, my grandfather died and my father lost his zeal, but I still wanted to be like him. But when he found out that I was training, he got really mad."

"What did he do?" Zeshen asked.

"Nothing, really, except yelling a lot. He must have realized that he couldn't stop me anyway, so he occasionally helped me a little, albeit rather unwillingly. About two months ago he finally let me go to Kokoto to train my skills in real quests, and when I told him that my trainers considered me ready for my initiation, he looked for help. And, well, you know the rest."

"I see", Zeshen said.

By that time they had finished their meal. Zeshen rose and headed for the door. Reena quickly followed her, but stopped when something came to her mind. "Oh, right, just one more thing." Zeshen stopped and looked at her, but didn't say anything. Somehow this reminded Reena of Liam. "Could you tell me what the problem is that Dalmin has with the desert? He seemed to know a lot about it even though he doesn't like it."

Zeshen didn't move a muscle, but her gaze grew a bit softer. Just a bit, though. "Before you start guessing: There has been no tragedy whatsoever. It's nothing big, actually."

"But he seemed pretty secretive about that topic."

"He just wasn't in the mood. That happens sometimes." Zeshen paused. "I could tell you, but it would be best if you just asked him yourself. Anyway, let's go. He should be awake now."

xxxxxxxxxx

When they arrived at the southern gate, Ezakiel and Dalmin were already there. They seemed to be in the midst of conversation, but greeted the newcomers as soon as they saw them.

Ezakiel simply waved, but Dalmin hollered from afar: "Yo, Zeshen! Princess!"

They reached the two men. "I hope we didn't keep you waiting" Zeshen started. "We had breakfast."

"You had?" Dalmin asked crestfallen, before shooting a glare in Ezakiels direction, who pretended to not notice.

"I take it you haven't?" Zeshen asked with obvious amusement.

Dalmin crossed his arms and pouted his lips, but Ezakiel answered. "We would have, but Dalmin took forever to wake up. The time simply didn't suffice anymore." He gave Dalmin a mischievous smile, who glared at him again.

"Bah, whatever!" the giant said, annoyed. "Let's just get going. It's a ways to Eden."

"But before we leave..." Zeshen interjected, "…Reena would like to ask you something."

Reena looked at her in shock. She had planned to pick a better time, but now there was no return.

Dalmin raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"Um, I just, uh, wanted to ask you...", she started nervously, then gathered all her courage. "...what kind of issue you have with the desert. You didn't seem to like it."

She had expected a few responses: Him getting mad or sad or simply evasive again. But he actually burst out laughing! "Yeah, I guess I sounded pretty mysterious yesterday. Don't sweat it! It's no big deal. You see, I was born in Randua. At that time the place was already falling apart. My father, Goras, was the blacksmith of the local Guild, but since there were no good hunters, he never had much work, so he earned only very little. When I was two, we moved to Pokke. This village was flourishing, so he was pretty busy. He earned a lot, so we had no problems anymore. My mother didn't even have to work, so she always looked after me 'n Ezakiel when his parents were out hunting. Her name's Esmerelle by the way."

"She's the one who taught him to cook", Ezakiel added.

"Yeah, she started when I was still a nipper. I could barely use a spoon."

"But if you were just two when you left, why don't you like the village?" Reena asked.

"Ah, you know, my father used to tell me about the life he had there. It didn't sound too pleasant, so I got some kind of aversion against it, I guess. But don't worry; I won't throw a tantrum or something. After all, we won't even go there."

"Speaking of which..." Ezakiel said. "...we should get going. There's no point in wasting time. We can talk on the way." The others nodded in agreement. "Okay, then let's be on our way."

xxxxxxxxxx

It took about four days to travel from Pokke to the territory of Fort Eden. The further they proceeded southwards, the hotter it became. Soon they walked through the outskirts of the desert. The heat was scorching. Only because of the cool drinks they were able to keep up a quick enough pace to cross the desert without getting short of supplies. Eventually, they stood on top of a high cliff, looking down at the structure.

Fort Eden was gigantic. Since it was build inside a large mesa, they could only see part of it, but that was still impressive. Not only was the mesa an unbreachable defence in itself, the walls of the actual fortress almost rivalled it. They were several stories high and at least ten meters thick. There were several braziers on top of them, most likely to help hunters find it at night. The gate was almost as massive as the walls and armed with ballistae.

Reena marvelled at it in awe, amazed that people were able to even build such a thing, but at the same time worried that they had considered it necessary.

"Quite a sight to behold, huh?" Dalmin asked proudly. "It's the second largest fortress the Guild has ever built."

Reena looked at him questioningly. "The _second_ largest? Then what is the largest?"

"Fort Lao Shan. It dwarves Eden, and it has to. It's located deep in the mountains, at the outskirts of the Dragon Lands. That's what we call the Lao Shan Lungs territory**.**

"My father told me about it. Is it true that that area is flocking with them?"

Ezakiel laughed mirthlessly. "It's nod _that_ bad, but still bad enough. Those monsters are quite territorial, so they hardly ever cross paths. But the area is enormous. I spoke with pilots of the observation balloons that patrol it. They said that when you are in the middle of it, you can't see anything but rocky plains and scorched savannah, up to the horizon in any direction. That's why no hunter ever goes there. It's not only too dangerous, but simply not worth it."

Reena thought about that. "So that means that the Fort is under constant attack of the strongest monsters there are?"

Ezakiel huffed. "If that were the case, they would have broken through long ago already. They learned to stay away from it, mostly because those who tried came back either severely wounded or not at all. But it _is_ under constant alert. You never know when one of those dragons gets brave enough to attack."

Reena looked back at Fort Eden. "How do we get down there?"

Ezakiel scratched his chin. "I haven't thought about that yet. We don't normally hunt in this region of the desert. Maybe we could climb."

"That's too dangerous", declined Zeshen.

"There should be a cave around here somewhere", Dalmin said. "My father told me about it. It leads all the way down to the valley. That's what we travelled through when we moved to Pokke."

"Sounds good", Ezakiel said. "Do you think you could find it?"

"Sure. He said that it was just a few minutes away from a cliff, and this one is the only one I know of. Shouldn't be too hard. Come on, follow me."

xxxxxxxxxx

Soon enough, they found the cave. As Dalmin had said, it was part of the cliff itself. The walls were of rock, with some holes that provided enough light to see were they were going.

Reena felt ill at ease. "Do you think this place is safe?"

"Who knows?" Dalmin said nonchalantly. "My father said it was when he crossed it, but that's been more than twenty years ago. Let's just stay alert."

They marched for another half an hour before they reached a larger room. It was darker in there, if only a little, and there were a few openings in the walls where no light shone through.

"Those must be tunnels, leading deeper into the earth", Ezakiel said. He looked around to see a large opening that was far better lighted than the others. "That should be the right one."

Zeshen looked around suspiciously. "I wonder whether this cave is as abandoned as it seems."

They walked on, but after a few steps they heard a quiet scream which they easily recognized. One moment later a Genprey jumped out of one of the tunnels and blocked their way.

Reena looked at it cluelessly. Preys weren't exactly the brightest of creatures, but this one seemed to be just plain stupid. A single Genprey didn't pose any kind of threat to them whatsoever. Still, the mere boldness of the monster's action made them stop dead in their tracks.

Dalmin crossed his arms and gave it a suspicious look. "What's its problem? It doesn't move at all." He was right, for all the Genprey did was staring at them.

"Um, guys?" Zeshens voice sounded somewhat urgent. Reena turned to look what was up.

Behind them two more monsters had shown up.

As if on cue, many more cries could be heard, and all of a sudden several Genpreys came out of the tunnels all around the hunters.

"Defensive circle!" Ezakiel shouted. Immediately they turned their backs to each other, facing the monsters in all directions. In the meantime, even more had shown up.

They quickly drew their weapons. Ezakiel raised his sword beside his head, the blade following his gaze. Zeshen held one weapon at hip level, the other one above her head. Reena chose her sabre for the swift Prey were hard to hit and a bow was no good when one was surrounded. She held it before her in a fencing position, her free left hand held behind her. For some strange reason, however, Dalmin just stood there, slamming his right fist into his left palm.

"What are you doing, Dalmin?" she asked worriedly.

He just flashed a confident grin at her and spread his feet to get balanced.

"What do you think how many there are?" he asked.

"About twenty, maybe thirty", Ezakiel answered.

"There might be a Drome" Zeshen said. "Keep your eyes open."

"Here they come!" Reena shouted.

Ezakiel tightened the grip on his sword. "Charge!" he roared. With that said, they jumped into battle.

Reena intercepted one of the monsters with a horizontal slash and effortlessly severed its head. Two more took its place, though, and jumped at her. She quickly pivoted to the right, almost colliding with another one, and struck the Genprey that was now to her left, cutting deep into its flank with an upstroke. She flicked the blade around and thrust it behind her, skewering the one she nearly bumped into two seconds earlier. It let out an anguished screech and went down. She was now facing three more, two to her right and one to her left. From this position she could see the others as well.

Dalmin was the first one she laid eyes on, not only because of his size, but because of what he was doing. He still had his weapon and shield strapped to his back and didn't seem to plan on using them at all. Instead he used his massive, stone clad fists to pummel the monsters. Right now he had lifted one of them up by its neck with his left while hammering his right on another's skull. There were six more just a few more steps ahead.

It took a second to make out Zeshens dark, lithe form. She was dancing amongst the beasts, her blades slashing almost faster than the eye could see. Even though none of her attacks was severe on its own, her enemies already bled out of several wounds and two of them lay on the ground, motionless. All in all, she was facing five opponents, excluding the fallen.

The most impressive performance, however, was Ezakiels. He wielded his sword with great strength and speed, killing the monsters faster than they could engage him. He hopped back as another one tried to bite him, cleaving the Gaelic Flame down and cracking its skull. He shoved the dead Prey aside and charged at one jumping towards him, tearing his weapon up again. The monster was hauled over his head, bleeding profusely out of its opened stomach, and before it hit the ground he slashed his sword around in a wide arc, decapitating two more. He was standing in front of a tunnel, and there were still Genprey pouring out of it.

Reenas attention turned back to her enemies. All three of them jumped at her, so she quickly rolled forward and thus behind them, then whirled around. Her sabre bit deep into the back of the one she injured earlier. Before it could even finish its scream, she forcefully twisted the blade, snapping its spine. It instantly went limb. She then jumped at the other two, slashing her sword from side to side in an "X" shaped pattern. The first slash slid the throat of the left one, the second severed the remaining ones arm. Reena followed the momentum of her last attack and made a perfect pirouette, hacking at the monster wildly and cutting off its head.

With all her enemies dispatched, she exchanged the sabre with her bow and decided to support Ezakiel, who had to fight the most monsters. She killed several Genprey while his sword homed a bloody harvest. Soon they were driving them back, so Reena glanced to the others.

In the short while she had looked away, Zeshen had already disposed of her enemies and started running to Ezakiels assistance. Dalmin still had a few left, but they stood no chance against him. He didn't even try to evade or parry their attacks, rightfully trusting his armour while flailing around with both arms.

Reena almost forgot to breathe when he grabbed an attacking monster by the neck, lifted it up and started rotating around his axis. He looked like a barbaric hammer thrower, batting the Genpreys aside with their own kin. After a few rounds he released his makeshift weapon and hurled it at the last one standing. The two monsters went down and didn't rise again. Two of the others were trying to regain their footing, but Dalmin didn't allow that. He grabbed one of them like he did before and smashed it right on top of the other, crashing its skull. He then put a foot on the one he was still holding, pinning it down, and ripped it's head clean off. Since there was nothing left, he ran towards Ezakiel.

Reena returned to the others as well and saw that the battle was almost over. Ezakiel and Zeshen had decimated them to just a handful. Surprisingly the Gendrome was among them, hissing and growling but not attacking. When Dalmin reached his friends, he drew his gunlance, aimed it at the monsters and pulled the trigger.

The wyvern-fire broke free with brute force, singed the walls of the tunnel and hit the Gendrome. It was too far away to be seriously injured, but its face was slightly burned. Apparently that was too much for it, for it about-faced and ran off into the darkness. The other monsters quickly followed, equally intimidated by such a display of power.

Reena watched them leave, slowly calming down. She had never experienced anything like this before. Everything had happened so fast, making her act on instinct. It was a strange yet pleasant sensation to feel the adrenaline in her body subside after a victorious battle.

They put away their weapons and took a deep breath. Dalmin spoke first. "Wow! That was fun!"

"If you call almost getting eaten by dozens of Genprey fun, then yes, it was", Reena said breathlessly.

"Aw, come on. They were just small fry. Besides, you kept yourself pretty well. You were, like, untouchable."

"I agree", Ezakiel said. "That was a good performance, I can tell."

She blushed slightly at this praise. "It really wasn't that good. I'm just a rookie, after all."

He chuckled. "You don't have to be so modest. You did great."

She scratched her cheek, unsure what to say. "Well, if you say so..."

Zeshen cleared her throat audibly. "Sorry to interrupt you guys, but we should get going. You never know when that Gendrome might return with reinforcements."

"Huh?" Reena said. "You say there are even more of those?"

She nodded. "I'm not positive, of course, but there could be. Either way, I'd like to be far away from this place. The best fights are those you can avoid."

"She got a point there", Ezakiel agreed. "Let's be off. It shouldn't be much longer until we reach Eden."

xxxxxxxxxx

They quickly left the cave and headed towards the Fort. On their way they passed an oasis that was littered with the carcasses of numerous Cephalos. They seemed to have been killed by a variety of weapons. Some of them were cut with blades, some impaled with a lance, and a few even had small explosion marks that seemed to have been caused by a bowgun.

The eeriest sight however was a Daimyo Hermitaur, lying on its shell, the legs stretched towards the moon. Most of the durable plates of its exoskeleton were missing, so they assumed it has been salvaged. However, when they looked at its body, they froze. The monster seemed to have been gutted. Blood and shreds of flesh were everywhere; the body itself was merely a deserted mass of gore and torn innards. Reena had to avert her eyes to fight the nausea this sight caused her.

Even Dalmin was appalled by this. "What in the world could have done _this_?"

"It could only be the work of hunters", Ezakiel said quietly. "But this... I've never heard of a monster being as brutally slaughtered as this one."

Zeshen put a hand to her chin in thought. "Didn't your mother say that Ashvelt Vindel is 'somewhat cruel'? Maybe this was his doing." Everyone looked at her in shock. If what she said was true, then they would have to report to a madman.

Reena couldn't stand the sight any longer. "Please, can we just keep going? I want to get out of here."

Ezakiel uneasily glanced at the shredded Carapaceon for a last time, then nodded. "Yeah, let's quit this place. We're almost there anyway. I can see the lights of the braziers."

xxxxxxxxxx

After another hour of wandering, they finally reached the massive gate of Fort Eden. It looked even huger up close, and they wondered if it could be opened at all.

Ezakiel stepped a little closer and raised his voice. "Is anybody there?"

A few seconds later, a human shape appeared on top of the wall. "Who goes there?"

"We are hunters from the village of Pokke. We came on Ashvelt Vindels request to slay the white Monoblos that plagues this area."

"I see", the man replied and vanished. They could hear him yelling orders, and soon after that there was a deep rumbling sound coming from the gate. It slowly swung open. Reena couldn't believe what she saw. This gate was at least fifteen feet thick.

They wasted no time entering the Fort. The inside was impressive as well: The buildings were arranged in a circle around a large plaza where there seemed to be a large bazaar. The nearer the houses came to the centre, the smaller they got, looking like rows of seats in a gigantic amphitheatre.

A man approached them, obviously one of the Desert Rose Hunters. "Ashvelt Vindel is not available until tomorrow. I'm told to show all hunters who came for that quest to an inn. Please follow me."

Without further ado, he led them to a large building. "This is it. Just go on in and don't worry about money. The Desert Rose Hunters will come up for the fee. Please have a peaceful respite." He then left without waiting for a reply. Ezakiel shrugged and entered the inn.

A small wyverian man greeted them. "Welcome, hunters. I have already been informed. Should I show you to your rooms or do you want to eat something first?"

Normally they would have loved to have a bite to eat after their march through the desert, but the Daimyo Hermitaur still lingered in their memories, spoiling their appetite. "We're not really hungry", Ezakiel said. "Please show us to our rooms."

The small man did just that. They had two rooms: One for Ezakiel and Dalmin, the other one for Reena and Zeshen.

They wished each other a good night and went inside. Reena scanned their room. It wasn't exactly big, but also not small, and despite the little space they had it looked comfy. She sat down on the bed, finding it surprisingly soft for a bed in a desert stronghold. Both women took off their gear, put it on the floor next to their beds and went to sleep.

xxxxxxxxxx

They met up in the inn's lobby early the next morning. "We should go to the bazaar now", Dalmin suggested. "They should sell everything we need there."

"Right", Ezakiel said. "Let's stock up on supplies, then ask for Ashvelt Vindel."

However, when they left the inn, a strange sight hit them. The stands were being removed, Merchants scurried around, carrying their goods inside the buildings and a stressed air hung over the entire fortress.

"What's going on here? Why are they closing the bazaar?" Dalmin asked cluelessly.

"It's because a sandstorm is on its way here", a voice said behind them, and they turned around.

The man who walked toward them had a kind smile and sparkling green eyes. He wore only his greaves and an open leather vest, due to the heat, but the silver scales covering his legs were enough to give his identity away. Something about his body language, the confident, relaxed manner in which he walked perhaps, instantly put the hunters at ease. The man behind him was likewise clad in his Tigrex scale greaves. However, his demeanour was a bit less than welcoming.

"Yeah, on days like these Vindel keeps everyone inside their homes. You never know what blows up over the walls during a sandstorm", chuckled the man. "I remember this one time, an entire Genprey pack was thrown into the fortress! Hell of a clean up that was!"

As one Ezakiel, Zeshen, and Dalmin crossed their right arms over their chests and bowed at the waist. Rena looked around confused for a second, but a glare from Zeshen made her emulate the others' behaviour.

"Esteemed Ashvelt "Silver King" Seid, it is an honour to be in your presence", Ezakiel said formally "I am Ezakiel and this is my hunting party; Zeshen, Dalmin, and Reena."

Seid ran a hand through his short hair and sighed.

"Well met Ezakiel, Zeshen, Dalmin, and Reena", he said, nodding as he addressed each of them. "But you should save your formalities for Vindel. We're all hunters here, regardless of rank. And please, just call me Seid, okay?"

Ezakiel blinked, taken aback by such a lack of decorum. Usually the Royals, while addressing lower ranked hunters, were referred to by their guild title. To call a hunter by their name either meant that the hunters were good friends, or one was deeply insulting the other by refusing to honour their title. Reena cut in, trying to break the awkward silence that had descended.

"Ummm...Speaking of Ashvelt Sandstorm, sir", she asked shyly. "We accepted a quest for the white Monoblos that's been spotted in the area. Would it be possible...for you to get us a brief meeting with him?"

"Yeah, sure. Vindel usually supervises the bazaar while it's being broken down, just in case anyone needs any extra help."

"He's over there", the other man said flatly, pointing at a group of people carrying goods into a warehouse.

Ezakiel, Zeshen and Dalmin flinched as they heard his voice. They recognized it, albeit only barely. Ezakiel didn't know what to think. Unpleasant memories returned to his mind. They were still perfectly clear, even after sixteen years.

"Come on, I'll introduce you", Seid said, walking away, followed closely by his second.

After sparing a glance between them, the hunters walked to meet the leader of the fortress. The Royal called out to the throng of males and females moving various sized boxes.

"Hey! Vindel! I got some guests here for you!"

A few of the citizens stopped what they were doing to stare, astounded at such bluntness.

"This better be important", came the cold reply from somewhere in the crowd.

Even though it was only said at normal speaking level, Vindels voice carried a deadly weight sending a chill up their spine. After a few moments, a bald man slipped between two other men carrying a large box. He patted one on the back reassuringly as he passed, and stood before Ezakiels group, crossing his arms. Vindel only wore working shorts and an open vest, revealing a deeply scarred chest and torso. Even dressed as simply as he was, he emitted an aura of command, amplified by the upside down 'y' scar on his face that set his mouth in a permanent frown.

"What do you want?" he said, glaring daggers.

Swallowing down the urge to flinch, Ezakiel repeated the bowing gesture, followed flawlessly by the others in his group.

"Esteemed Ashvelt "Sandstorm" Vindel, it is an honour to be in your presence. I am Ezakiel and this is my hunting party; Zeshen, Dalmin, and Reena. I beg your pardon for disrupting you while you are attending to business, but I and my group are here on a quest to slay the White Monoblos that has been menacing your desert."

At the conclusion of the hunters' speech, the ghost of a smile flickered across Vindels face.

"Very pretty words indeed, Ezakiel", said the Royal bluntly. "So you lot will kill the white Monoblos for me? Fine. I will offer you 50,000 Zeni for its head-"

"What?" Dalmin gasped. "That's a fortune!"

"You didn't let me finish", snapped the Royal, silencing them instantly. "I said I want its head...intact. I want you to bring me the head of this monster, horn and all, to collect your reward. If the horn is broken your reward will be reduced to 25,000 Zeni."

"Why would you want and entire Monoblos head?" asked Reena, momentarily forgetting her etiquette

Instead of lashing out at her, Vindel gave her a twisted smile. The girl took a step back in alarm.

"Simple", said Vindel. "I like trophies. Now, go back to your quarters. You will leave as soon as the sandstorm is over."

The Royal gave them one more glance before walking back into the crowd of bustling people.

"Well, were leaving for Dondruma after the sandstorm dissipates. See you around!" said Seid, extending his hand.

Ezakiel took the offered hand and shook it.

"Thanks again, Seid. Not that you'd need it or anything, but good luck."

"And you as well."

Seid waved to the others one last time and walked up the street. Dante lingered long enough to give them a cool nod and left as well.

"I never expected a Royal to be so normal", Ezakiel said as he watched them leave.

"You must be referring to Seid", Dalmin snarled. "That bastard Vindel sure ain't normal. Bloodthirsty creep. This head-thing perfectly suits him."

"Just forget it, big guy", Reena soothed him. "There's nothing we can do."

"She's right", Zeshen added. "Let's see if we can lend a hand somewhere."

xxxxxxxxxx

After they had helped the citizens, they returned to the inn. Since there was nothing left to do, they had a late breakfast.

The sandstorm arrived only minutes later. Even though strong shutters had been placed to cover the windows, the noise made them feel ill at ease. No one dared to look outside, let alone leave the inn.

Dalmin looked at the shutters. Amusement sparkled in his eyes. "Wouldn't it be funny if there really were a few Genpreys being blown over the wall? We might even see our friends from the cave again. Then we could warm up a little before the actual hunt."

"Given that the three Royals here leave any to you", Zeshen said nonchalantly.

"Or that guy with the Tigrex-greaves", Reena added. "He looked pretty tough, too."

Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen shared a quick glance. They knew that he was, even though they had never imagined him to accompany a Royal. Not after all that happened.

Reena didn't seem to notice their silent conversation, for she giggled. "Say, Ezakiel. What would your mother say if we told her that we met Ashvelt Seid? Almost topless, no less."

Ezakiel was just drinking his tea when she said that. Caught off guard by her remark, he choked on his drink and started to cough excessively. Dalmin slapped him on his back, and after a minute he had recovered enough to answer. "I won't say a thing", he said flatly, not wanting to talk about that.

"Okay, then I'll tell her. I can't wait to see her face."

He sighed and returned his attention to the current situation. "Dalmin, how long could this storm take?"

His friend put a hand to his chin. "That's always different. I heard that there have been storms that only lasted for minutes, while others took days to dissipate. We just have to wait and see."

"Days?" echoed Reena, shocked. "I don't want to sit here for days, doing nothing!"

"Relax", Ezakiel said. "If you can't change it, don't mind it. Patience is the bread and butter of a hunter's life. We'll wait here until we can leave. There's nothing else we can do anyway."

Fortunately, the sandstorm ceased just a few hours later. Once they were able to leave the inn again, they helped the citizens clean up the plaza and then rebuild the bazaar. After all, they needed to stock up on supplies.

They were gathering in the middle of the plaza after they had bought everything they'd need.

Reena seemed confused. "Why didn't we buy any sonic-bombs? I heard that those are useful against a hiding Monoblos."

Dalmin chuckled. "Oh, they are. If you happen to know _where_ it's hiding. After all, it's hiding because it doesn't want to be found, and the desert is big. If you have a few thousands of those, you may have luck, but I still think that those are worth shit when you're hunting a Monoblos."

"Oh", she said simply, unable to think of anything better to say.

Ezakiel cleared his throat. "I think we should leave immediately. It's not long until nightfall. That way we don't have to put up with the heat." The others agreed. "Okay, then let's get going."

xxxxxxxxxx

They were overlooking a vast plane of sand littered with large boulders that protruded from the ground. After what little information they could gather among the Desert Rose Hunters, the Monoblos has last been seen here. They had even found a few half-eaten Apceros' in the vicinity.

Reena looked at the endless row of dunes, feeling lost. "However are we gonna find it? It has eaten just recently, so it won't come out to hunt for some time. We can't dig up the whole desert."

Dalmin put a heavy hand on her hat. "Relax, I got it all covered."

"Huh?" she replied.

He just gave her a thumbs-up and walked forward a few steps. To her confusion, the three of them drew their weapons. Not willing to take any chances, she readied her bow and stepped back a bit.

Suddenly, Dalmin raised his shield and started to slam its edge on the sand, stomping with his right foot to increase the force even further. Ezakiel noticed Reenas puzzled expression. "Monoblos' normally hide under the sand, only coming out to hunt or to defend their territory. Since the prior is unlikely for a while, we go for the latter. Dalmin is shaking the ground to pretend to be another Monoblos, challenging our prey."

Reena smiled, amused by this odd strategy. "Did you come up with this?"

He laughed a little. "Actually, Dalmin did. You see, we've been hunting a Monoblos before, a year or so ago. Dalmin somehow stumbled and rolled down a dune. He made quite a ruckus. The Monoblos came out really close to him, already prepared to attack. That struck me suspicious, so I came up with this. We're testing it for the first time now."

Zeshen interrupted his monologue. "Let's come up with a plan. If Dalmin succeeds, it should be here soon."

He nodded, scratched his chin and looked around. "It can easily outrun us out in the open, and there are no caves like last time." He paused for a bit, further scanning the area. "These rocks can be somewhat of a cover. We should keep close to those, that way it can't charge at us as properly."

"How should we attack it?" Reena asked.

He thought about it for a few seconds. "You and Zeshen have to trip it somehow. Aim for its knees. Dalmin and I will try to keep it fixed on us. Don't aim at its head, it's armoured far too good to do any damage. We will go for the flanks."

"What should I watch out for?"

"Against a Monoblos, you have to watch out for just about anything. If you stand in front of it, it tramples you over. If you stand behind it, it will swat you away with its tail. It can roar pretty loudly, too, so you'll need the earplugs again. Never forget, this is far more difficult than a Khezu. It is stronger, faster, tougher, and unlike a Khezu, it can see you. Considering your armour, you would most likely be either rendered unable to fight or downright killed if it hits you. It would be best if you stay close to the rocks and cover us from there."

"I'm gonna keep it busy", Dalmin called over his shoulder. "That's what I can do best. Just be quick about it, I can't…It comes!"

They could see the sand ahead fly up, as if something big was rushing along just beneath it. And that was just what it was. It came closer at a high speed. Quickly, they ran over to the rocks, positioning themselves in front of them. Reena stood a little behind the others.

Suddenly, the rush stopped, and a second later a huge cloud of it was thrown skywards as the impressive white wyvern broke free. It was huge, about fifteen feet high and at least two times as long, towering before them. It spread its wings and moved its head from side to side, obviously looking for a challenger that didn't exist.

Without further ado, Dalmin charged at it, yelling and cursing loudly, trying to gain its attention. Ezakiel was just behind him and Zeshen followed in some distance. The monster stopped searching and turned to face them. It made a challenging roar, ducked low, then sprang forward and charged.

Quickly, the two men jumped aside to avoid it and struck its flanks when it passed them. Ezakiels sword only scratched its shell, though, and Dalmins thrust had no visible effect at all. The monster came to a halt and, without turning, lashed out at them with its massive tail. They managed to jump back again, so it only kicked up the sand just a few feet before them.

"Earplugs!" Ezakiel shouted. He stuffed the flabby, white balls into his ears and the others followed suit. A roar from this beast would give it enough time to kill at least one of them thoroughly. The Monoblos turned around again.

Right now, it was standing between Ezakiel and Dalmin on one side and the boulder on the other. Reena was still standing close to the massive rock and Zeshen dashed forward to attack the distracted monster from behind.

Upon reaching it, she started slashing away at the hollows of the beasts knees, but had little success as it eventually noticed her and started spinning around. Zeshen had to hop back to avoid getting trampled. The tail flailed around, too, barely missing the other hunters. After it had stopped, they quickly backed away from it, anticipating the next move.

The white monster shook its head and let out a deafening scream. Even with their earplugs they flinched, albeit only a little.

The Monoblos then faced Zeshen again and growled. However, just as it was about to charge again, Reena fired; the arrow pierced the skin of its knee. It roared in pain, but this alone was not enough to stop it.

She quickly hid behind a small rock, knowing that her blue form could easily be distinguished from the sand and boulders around her. She put in another arrow and looked around the edge of her hiding place. The monster was looking her way, but didn't seem to see her. As the others attacked it again, it turned its attention back to the battle at hand.

Again and again, the hunters attacked the beast. However, it wildly flailed around its tail and head, preventing them from getting close enough to attack.

Suddenly, Ezakiel saw an opening and attacked again. His sword cut into its side again, doing as little damage as it did before. But this time he kept hacking, directing most of his hits on its flank and thigh. The leg he was attacking buckled a little, as if it was too weak to support its body. Seeing the opportunity, he raised the sword high over his head, ready for a fierce strike.

An instant later a devastating blow hit his chest, slammed him off his feet and hurled him several dozen feet away. The Monoblos had not flinched in pain, as he had thought, but actually prepared a hip-check. He landed close to Reenas hideout. As she saw him lying there, she ran to his side, lifting up his head and pulling out an earplug.

"Ezakiel!" she shouted. He grunted and slowly got up on his knees, shaking his head to get rid of the dizziness. "Are you alright?" she asked worriedly. He looked back to the battle and she followed his gaze.

Zeshen and Dalmin were just as shocked as she was, but kept their cool to occupy the monster, except that the giants swearing became louder. He attacked it head on, blasting shell after shell in its face, but with little to no effect. Zeshen hacked away at the knee again.

Reena helped Ezakiel get back to his feet. He staggered a bit, but didn't seem to have suffered any serious injuries due to his armour and the sand that had cushioned his fall. After he had collected himself again, he started looking around, searching for his dropped sword.

"There it is!" she called, pointing to the boulder. The Gaelic Flame was lying on the sand just before it. Quickly, they ran there to get it. Ezakiel arrived there first, picked it up again and turned around towards Reena.

His eyes widened in shock. "Jump aside!"

Not wasting any time looking back, she leaped to the right, now clearly hearing the thundering footsteps of the white colossus' approach. The next thing she heard was a loud crunching sound, followed by an angry howl. She looked back up and couldn't help but smile.

The Monoblos had been charging at them with full speed, hell bent on skewering them, but it obviously underestimated its momentum. Right now, its horn was sticking deep inside the rock, resisting all efforts to pull it out again. Suddenly, she could hear Ezakiels voice from the other side of the monsters head, roaring loudly. His sword raised high over his head, cleaved down with horrible force and chopped off the horn.

The beast was freed with a start, stumbling back and furiously shaking its head. The others had closed the distance between themselves and the monster by now and prepared for another attack.

Reena noticed something suspicious happening. "Um, Ezakiel? What's up with its head?" Somehow some strange red spots had appeared on the shell that protected its skull.

Ezakiel paled. "It's raging. Watch out!" One second later, the monster charged at them again, a lot faster now. They sprinted to the side, barely avoiding being hit, and regrouped with the others.

"You okay, lad?" Dalmin asked after pulling out an earplug.

"I'm fine, just bruised a bit."

Yet again, they had to avoid a charge. Reena and Ezakiel fled to the right, Dalmin and Zeshen to the left, trying to encircle it. But the Monoblos had gone completely berserk, flailing around with everything it had. The hunters couldn't even come close to it; only Reenas arrows hit it, but seemed to do little more than fuel its rage.

"What's up with that thing?" she asked, panicking when it was momentarily busy trying to bite Dalmin and Zeshen. "It's raging", Ezakiel said. "When it gets in a tight spot or really angry, it throws some kind of temper tantrum and goes berserk. It becomes stronger and faster. That goes for all monsters, but Monoblos' and Diablos' are the worst." He then charged ahead, hopefully going unnoticed by the beast. Reena followed him, keeping some distance, and continued her assault. Zeshen and Dalmin attacked again as well.

The Monoblos turned to face Ezakiel and Reena, but looked back over its shoulder and raised its tail. It then flung it at Zeshen, missing her only barely. The raw force of the attack shook the sand she was standing on, making her loose her balance and fall on her knees. The next blow came down on Dalmin, and he wasn't as lucky. He could barely raise his shield and yell a quick "SHIT!" before the tremendous impact hurled him away. Without wasting a second, it then charged at the two still standing. Ezakiel dodged at the last possible second, but apparently only because it wasn't going after him in the first place.

It was actually aiming for Reena.

Knowing that she couldn't possibly evade this, she came up with a desperate action. Just before it could smash her to a pulp, she let herself fall over, flat on her back. The Monoblos passed over her, its lowered head missing her only by inches. Obviously confused by this, the monster stopped for a second, unsure what to do. That gave her enough time to get back up on her feet. She readied another arrow, looking for a good target. Just then it bent its neck to look between its legs. This turned out to be a mistake, for Reena let the arrow fly and hit it right in the right eye.

It thrashed around wildly, roaring in agony. The force behind its scream flooded her head in pain, for she had forgotten to put in her second earplug again. It whirled around again, now more furious than ever. The others came to her side again.

"It's far too strong! We need a plan", Zeshen said, almost out of breath.

"Yeah", Dalmin agreed. "Come up with something you two.

They were interrupted by a furious cry. The Monoblos rushed forward again. This time, however, it forcefully batted its wings and jumped just before reaching them, rising high into the air. Ezakiel grabbed the still stunned Reena and jumped back with her, as the monster came crashing down on again. It barely missed them, but threw them off their feet.

After regaining their footing, Reena and Ezakiel looked at each other and nodded. They started to avoid attack after attack, all the while conversing. Eventually, they had a plan.

Ezakiel waved the others over to regroup. He then assigned Reena to Dalmin and Zeshen to himself. While they kept their distance from the monster, they explained the plan to their respective partner. Both Dalmin and Zeshen seemed ill at ease, but there really was no other way to stop this behemoth. Eventually, when the Monoblos came to a stop after another charge again, they got into position.

Dalmin made the first move. He roared loudly, getting the monsters attention. Just before it could face him, he pulled the trigger and held it. Reena was standing a little to his side. The wyvern-fire was unleashed right into its face, making it roar in pain and lower its head. He quickly dropped his weapon and shield, grabbed Reena by the waist and _threw her._

She landed precisely on its head and quickly climbed behind head crest, then readied her bow and pulled out her last three arrows at once. It was about to try and shake her off when Zeshen charged at it, screaming as loud as she could. Ezakiel followed in some distance. Angrily, it charged at them, ignoring Reena for the while being.

This was the most critic moment of their plan. It was all up to Reena now. One or two seconds before the opponents clashed, she positioned herself and fired all three arrows into the vulnerable base of its neck. Clearly not having expected this, the Monoblos reared its head in agony. Reena felt a huge relief; everything was going well.

Zeshen reached the tumbling monster. It was already lowering its head again, so she was running out of time. Without thinking, she bent her left leg and stretched out the right one. That way, she was sliding forward, closely beneath its approaching head. She then got up again in a split second and slashed her swords to both sides with every ounce of strength she could muster. The blades cut deep into the hollows of its knees.

That was too much. The Monoblos stumbled and fell to the ground, sliding forward on its belly by the momentum it had gathered, giving Ezakiel the opportunity he needed.

He jumped high into the air, holding his sword upside-down with both hands, and raised it high. "DIE!" he roared, thrust his blade down with all his might – and pierced its skull.

The beast's body stiffened, then lay still.

It was over.

Reena crossed her arms and rested them on the edge of the Monoblos' head crest, still holding her bow. Ezakiel was kneeling on its face, holding on to his sword as if to support himself. Dalmin and Zeshen approached them from both sides of the carcass.

Letting out a deep breath, Reena allowed her body to calm down again. She leaned back on its neck, finding this to be a quite comfortable position.

"Way to go" Dalmin bellowed and started to laugh like a maniac. Reena couldn't help but tune in when the adrenaline in her blood eventually subsided. Ezakiel climbed off the dead monsters head while Zeshen sat down on the ground, resting her head against it and closing her eyes. The others soon followed suit.

Dalmin was the first to speak. "That was one tough critter."

"I never expected it to be that powerful", Zeshen agreed.

"But you all did a great job", Ezakiel praised.

"Especially you, Reena. That plan was totally off the rocker, but it worked", Dalmin sad.

They all laughed at that. "I'm sure that your mother will be very proud of you, Ezakiel", Reena said with a giggle. He looked at her questioningly, so she continued. "She'll probably give you a big kiss in reward." He made a face and grumbled, making the others laugh again.

After a while, Ezakiel stood up again and stretched. "Let's go back to Eden. Ashvelt Vindel should be waiting."

xxxxxxxxxx

The skull and horn were heavy, but with all four of them working together, especially Dalmin lugging most of the weight, they made it back to the fortress within a few hours. The people of Fort Eden and even the Desert Rose Hunters were cheering and applauding when they carried the head through the massive gate. Ezakiel knew that Dalmin would have loved to wave and boast around, but that was impossible due to all that weight he had to carry.

Reena looked around, taking in the happy atmosphere. She clearly enjoyed herself. "Isn't this wonderful? Just look at how glad they are!"

"I agree", Ezakiel said, readjusting his grip on the skull. "This definitely doesn't happen every time."

"It really is a great feeling to be appreciated for something you did, for no other reason than having done it."

He lucked at her, clearly puzzled. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Did you know that I'm some kind of celebrity in Dondruma? I'm the only daughter of Head Administrator Temura. Everyone knows me. Sometimes I feel like I stand out like a sore thumb. The people always look at what I'm doing, only because it's me who does it. They don't really care about anything else when it comes to me. Only Liam and my parents actually see me as a human being."

"That must be quite tough", he said sympathetically.

"I've gotten used to it. It has always been like that, so it never bothered me all that much. But now I see what true appreciation is like." She looked around again, clearly delighted. "I never knew it would feel so good."

Ezakiel smiled and concentrated on his grip again. Fortunately a few hunters came to their assistance and took the head, placing it on a small wagon that was being pulled by an Apceros. Ezakiel was impressed when he saw it. Unlike Popos, Apceros were quite wild and even attacked hunters when they encountered them. He didn't even know that they could be tamed in the first place.

After being relieved of the massive weight, the group reported immediately to the Guild Hall. The walls of the hall were filled with trophies. A myriad of claws, horns, heads, fangs and other extremities created an impressive display. A few of the Desert Rose Hunters were relaxing in the hall and nodded at them respectfully. They continued onwards until they reached the office.

It was no less decorated than the hall itself. The ornate desk was filled with paperwork. In the chair, however, was a man who was decidedly not Vindel. He had a very square jaw, deep brown eyes, and the deeply tanned skin of a lifetime in the desert. His hair was cut close to his scalp, a classic warrior hairstyle. While Vindel was lithe and slightly muscular, this man was practically a pillar of muscles. The man looked up at them and frowned slightly.

"Ah. You are the group that killed the white Monoblos, am I correct?"

"Yes, we are", Ezakiel said confusedly. "But who are you?"

The man's frown deepened, and he narrowed his eyes.

"I am Merquel", he growled. "But you will refer to me as Ashvelt Bloodhorn. Vindel is away on business and I run Eden while he is away."

Remembering his mothers warning, Ezakiel bowed and chose his words carefully.

"I apologize, Ashvelt Bloodhorn. I meant no disrespect. I am Ezakiel and this is my hunting group, Ze-"

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. I know your names", interrupted Merquel, waving some papers. "It's all in the report."

"Yes...well...we failed to keep the horn intact, I'm sorry to say", stated Esakiel

"Not surprising", snorted Merquel. "I can hardly believe that you killed that thing in the first place."

"Well, maybe we're not as worthless as you might think", Dalmin snarled, earning shocked looks from his friends. Merquel frowned.

"Your reward is waiting for you in the hall", growled Merquel. "Now get the hell out."

They did as they were told. Dalmin was gritting his teeth all the way out of the Guild Hall.

Ezakiel approached him as soon as they were outside. "What's gotten into you, Dalmin? This is just what my mother told us not to do. We can't afford to rile up a Royal against us, especially not him."

Dalmin looked to the ground in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just… his cocky attitude really makes my blood boil. I wish he wouldn't be in charge. I would crush this rotten bastard between my hands!"

"Calm down, Dalmin", Zeshen said with a sigh. "The problem is that he _is_ in charge. There's nothing you can do about him."

"I know, I know! It just makes me so mad."

Ezakiel shook his head and dismissed his anger. "Well, the damage is done, and quite frankly, I have no intention of going back and apologize to this imbecile. I suggest we head back to the inn, get some sleep and then return to Pokke."

"You're right", the giant said. "And then it's good riddance to this place."

"Lighten up, big guy", Reena said with a smile and put a hand on his shoulder. "He's just an idiot who's grumpy because he has no real friends. You're far better off than him."

His trademark-grin returned to his face. "You sure got that right!"

xxxxxxxxxx

He closed his eyes and groaned. This was the fourth in one month. He hated them.

Crunching the paper in his hand, he walked towards the large window and looked at the sleeping Dondruma. "Four times, nine lives." His voice was rough, bent by age and duty. And by misery. Mostly by misery.

His gaze wandered to the south. He could see a red shimmer above the mountains. The volcanic belt was always glowing, denying even the night to fully claim it. What chances did humans have, then?

The man glared at the red. _Why do they keep dying there?_

It kept happening, time and time again. He could do nothing he hadn't already tried, and he knew it.

This thought made him let out a desperate sigh. "Some leader I am."

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This was the first time I did co-writing, so please tell me what you think about it.

PS: The next chapters are already partly done. You can expect very quick updates for the next chap at least.


	7. Realm of fire

Here I am again! Some quick update that was, huh? I had already finished this chap in German even before I submitted the sixth, so it was just a matter of translating.

This time, there will be a hint to the actual plot of this fic. Since it is reaching the critical stage now, I would really appreciate if you review. And even though I like to be praised, I also want you to point out if you disliked something. After all, criticism is just as, if not more important than anything else.

Disclaimer: I don't own Monster Hunter. I also don't own LordVoldios' characters and their histories and pasts.

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**Chapter Seven: Realm of fire**

Once again they marched through the icy, moonlit desert. Dunes towered to both sides; not particularly high or steep, but it sufficed to block their view. The journey turned out to be quite uneventful so far. Aside from a few Apceros, they never met a living being for some time.

Ezakiel looked wearily at the horizon. _Sand. Sand as far as the eye can see. For two days already we're seeing nothing but sand. Without the sun and the stars we would be lost for sure by now._ He knew that they had almost reached the cave where they fought the Genpreys.

In the meantimef, Dalmin, Zeshen and Reena had other things to worry about.

"Why do you want to have it so badly?" Reena asked Dalmin agitatedly. "You just threw me on a monster. Had it not been for me, it would've trampled Zeshen and then all of you."

"But you could only prevent that because I threw you." Even though Ezakiel didn't look back he knew that his friend was lifting a finger and smiling triumphantly.

Just as well could he picture Zeshen shaking her head in annoyance, and indeed she spoke up before Reena could blow up. "But I have tripped it and Ezakiel finished it off. In theory, it belongs to us all." He could hear Dalmin fighting for words and sighed. This was going on for several minutes now, and not for the first time.

After their victory over the white Monoblos, Dalmin had decided to keep the horn. Everyone agreed with this, even him. But at that moment he had no idea what this would entail. Ever since they set off, Reena and Dalmin had been fighting over it. Ezakiel tried to stay out of their argument so far. He didn't really care whose room that cursed thing would decorate in the end as long as this bickering came to an end. Right now, the source of his problem was dangling from Dalmins shoulder, held by a wide leather strap.

"Why don't you just buy it from me?" Dalmin asked mischievously.

"Why should I?" Reena yelled. "After all, I was with you as well, and besides, it doesn't belong to you in the first place!"

"But I pulled it out of the rock!"

"And I had almost been skewered by it!"

"Same goes for me!"

"Oh, calm down already", Zeshen interjected, but to no avail.

Ezakiel had enough and whirled around. "Enough! Both of you!" They instantly became silent. Dalmin and Reena looked at him with a mix of anger and embarrassment while Zeshens gaze was thankful. He continued with his arms crossed. "First, the only one who truly owned this horn was the late Monoblos. Second, stop trying to surpass each other with what you've done. Our plan only succeeded because we _all_ played our role. And third, this thing is actually property of the Guild anyway. I just pretend I didn't see it. But if I hear just one more word regarding it, I will personally break it apart."

The anger had left the eyes of the two. They looked to the ground in shame. "Now, apoligize."

He turned on the heel and went on. He was glad that something like this only happened very rarely. Dalmin may have been a hot-head, but deep down he was a decent man. But he and Reena were a strange combination. On one hand, they trusted each other completely; after all, it had been Dalmin who suggested inviting her into their team. But on the other hand, they were able to quarrel on a daily basis as if it came naturally to them.

A dark figure appeared at his side. He had a hard time to avoid flinching. Even on this sand Zeshen could move almost soundlessly.

"You did a pretty good job with that", she praised. "I'm sure that you could handle children just as well, if you ever were to have some."

He laughed mirthlessly. "I don't think that that will be the case anytime soon." Every trace of his smile disappeared from his face. "We all know that the life of a hunter is not an easy one for children." Her silence was enough of an answer. "Maybe I'll think about it someday, but it's still far too early for that."

"I see. Yes, I guess you're right."

"What about you?" he asked.

"I think I'll do the same thing." That topic seemed to be as unpleasant to her as it was to him, so he dropped it for the time being.

He was just looking at the horizon again when she suddenly grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and saw that she had closed her eyes and stood motionlessly. Her other hand was extended towards Dalmin and Reena, gesturing them to stand still as well.

His tranquillity disappeared in an instant. Subconsciously, he could feel his senses sharpening as his well-honed instincts awakened. He could hear steps that weren't being caused by humans, saw the rests of dust clouds thrown in the air, but above all he could sense the malice and the greed that hung in the air like a stench. He couldn't point out where these feelings came from, but not because he couldn't locate them.

It was because they came from _everywhere_.

"What's up?" Reena asked.

"Genprey", Zeshen said, and Ezakiel added: "They're surrounding us."

Reena looked at them in astonishment. "How do you know?"

"Instinct", they answered in unison.

They all drew their weapons, including Dalmin. "Defensive circle! Dalmin, the two of us take the dunes!" Ezakiel turned to one of the natural walls, Dalmin to the other. It was the best thing to do, for if the monsters tried to leap at them, only the two men would have enough strength to intercept them in midair. Without further ado they took the formation they used in the cave.

One second later, everything became quiet. But he was too experienced to be fooled by this. Tension hung in the air like something palpable. "Get ready", he whispered. They tightened their grips on their weapons and the calm made way for the storm.

Cries clanged through the desert as numerous Genpreys rushed down the dunes. Some of them indeed hurled themselves at the hunters, but they were prepared for that.

Ezakiel let his sword circle above his head for a split-second before cleaving it down fiercely, cutting the first monster in half. More of them ran towards him, but due to the loose Sand some of them slipped. One particularly unlucky specimen stumbled and slid towards him on its belly. He deftly flicked his sword around and thrust it in the beast's skull. Then he tore it out again, still holding it reversed, and decapitated another fiend with a wild slash, further enhancing the force of the attack by spinning around in a half circle. Before he came to a halt, he let go off his sword, only to grab it the right way again an instant later, completed his rotation and struck down another enemy, not giving it a chance to attack.

Dalmin raised his shield as the first Genprey assaulted him. It could just as well have jumped against a brick wall, for it bounced off it and fell to the ground. The giant wasted no time, stepped forward, rammed the lower edge of his shield down on the throat of the monster and effortlessly crushed its windpipe. Before he stepped back again, he thrust up with his gunlance and impaled another one in midair.

Meanwhile, Zeshen and Reena took care of those who eluded their friends. Zeshen jumped right into their mass, dealing strikes in rapid succession, diving beneath their claws and jaws and even swiping the legs from beneath them with a sweeping kick when she had to, whereas Reena always took on one or two of them, all the while staying to the flank of one of them. That way she could attack one enemy and still keep another in check. Whenever she was forced into open combat anyway, she evaded everything with short jumps, rolls and pirouettes, a variation of the fencing style Liam taught her.

There weren't nearly as many monsters as there had been in the cave, so after only about a minute the last one died by Ezakiels merciless sword. After scanning the area with eyes and ears, he relaxed a little. One eventless minute later, he sheathed his sword again, and the others followed suit.

Zeshen and Reena stepped to his side and looked around, while Dalmin tried to wipe clean his weapon on a dead Genprey. Since it was made of stone instead of steel, the blood was a lot harder to get off, but he also had no intention of leaving it there, due to the risk of attracting even more predators.

They were standing in the middle of a ring of carcasses, severed limbs and blood, which looked black due to the pale moonlight. It was no pleasant sight, but it had been necessary. However, even though none of the monsters had survived, something was still bugging Ezakiel, but he couldn't put a finger on it. _They surrounded us and attacked us co-ordinately. Their strategy was far too good to have been spontaneous._

_Gendrome!_ Realization suddenly hit him, but too late. He whirled around, trying to warn Dalmin, but could only watch as a large shadow leapt out of the darkness onto the back of the unsuspecting hunter. Caught off guard, he went down. The Gendrome jumped off him, thus standing between him and the others, who already charged forward. It turned around to finish the fallen one, assaulted him with a fierce bite – and froze.

One moment later it was shoved to the side and rolled on its back. The snow-white horn of the Monoblos protruded from its chest and seemed to glow from within itself in the moonlight. Dalmin got back up on his feet, still dazed, but apparently unharmed.

"Whew, that was a close one", he simply said, causing the others to heave a sigh of relief.

"How did you do that?" Reena asked baffled.

He grinned roguishly and scratched the back of his head. "Well, when it jumped on my back, it must have somehow loosened the horn, so I grabbed and used it."

Ezakiel held back an appropriate comment and walked towards the dead pack-leader. As he had already suspected, its face showed some signs of having been burned. "No wonder it went after you, Dalmin", he called back over his shoulder. "This was something personal." Dalmin kneeled beside him and examined the monster. "That must've been the rest of the pack from the cave." He rose again, placed a foot on the destroyed chest of the beast and pulled out the horn. It made a disgusting sound when it came free.

Dalmin eyed it critically. "I think I'll give it to your mother. She has a fable for bloodstained trophies, after all."

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After yet another two days they finally reached the village of Pokke. They entered it from the south, passing the mountainwheat-fields. Mountainwheat was a particularly robust variety of the common wheat, the only kind of grain that could sustain the harsh cold of this region.

To their surprise they saw Mira, furiously slashing away at it with a scythe. They waved at her, but only earned a venomous glare, so they walked on.

Reena couldn't help but look for an explanation. "Maybe even the Popos complained about her."

They laughed heartily, further rejoicing due to the fact that they were finally home again. Even though the cold of the mountains was all the worse after the heat of the desert, they had missed it.

Shortly after that, they entered the Guild Hall. Liva was busy with attending another group of hunters. Ezakiel knew them. They were still young, seventeen at the most, and obviously not yet members of the Guild. They roamed the mountains, looking for wild Popos, mountain herbs and useful ores. Whenever they found a monster, they reported it.

Since the Guild couldn't possibly take care of every rooky who wished to become a hunter, it transferred them to the village elders. The elder of Pokke was named Pekeya, a tiny woman with glasses, who founded the village more than sixty years ago, together with the somewhat odd Treshi, after they found a large machalite ore-deposit. Machalite ore could be used to forge excellent weapons.

While he was waiting, Ezakiel looked to the other side of the Hall. As expected, Treshi sat close to the wall, smoking his pipe and seeming to be content with just watching the usual hustle and bustle. The hunter couldn't remember ever having seen him anywhere else, except on the funeral of his father and his companions, who could somehow be recovered from the mountains.

Quickly he abandoned these memories and returned his attention on Liva, when the other hunters curtly bowed and left. She waved them over and greeted them with a smile. "Greetings, hunters. It's good to see you again. How was the hunt?"

Dalmin pulled out the blood-stained Monoblos-horn while Ezakiel reported. "We slew the Monoblos before it could cause any more damage and also wiped out a pack of Genpreys."

"This blood comes from the Gendrome", Dalmin boasted and pointed the horn at her nose. She stared at it nervously, not daring to move a muscle. Ezakiel took it away from him in annoyance and put it on the desk.

Obviously relieved, Liva continued. "Um, good job. I'll see what reward you deserve for the Genprey." Something came to her mind. "Oh, I almost forgot. The Guild finally agreed on the reward for the red Khezu." She pulled three bags out from under her desk. "That would be 3500 Zeni per head. Here you go." The three thanked her and took the bags. "I'm also supposed to tell you that the Administrator wants to see you as soon as you return."

Ezakiel made a face, but kept quiet. Instead he nodded at her in parting and went to his mother's office, the others following close behind.

Erris was relaxing at the moment. Her chair was pushed back a bit so that she could rest her feet on the table. She held a large cup of bone in her hands, which was filled with steaming tea. When she saw them, she beamed and waved them over. "Ah, you're finally back. I desperately waited for you."

Ezakiel stepped closer and, on her cue, sat down in the only other chair. Dalmin crossed his arms and rested them on its backrest, Zeshen stood to his side and Reena sat down on the edge of the table.

Erris drank another sip of tea before she spoke. "Now tell me already, how did it go? I want to hear everything!"

Ezakiel reported briefly what had happened, but left out the part with Seid and his companion, not wanting his mother to worry. She frowned when he told her about the Genpreys and the problems they had with the white Monoblos. As expected, she cracked up laughing when they told her the strategy they used to finish it off.

"You_ threw_ her?" she asked Dalmin incredulously, while she bent forward to place the cup on the table, not willing to stain her uniform with tea.

Dalmin grinned and scratched his chin. "Hey, at least it worked."

She was still chuckling. "Right, there was no way it could have foreseen something as crazy as that." Ezakiel and Reena decided not to discuss this.

After telling her about the second skirmish with the Preys and how Dalmin had disposed of the Gendrome, he finished his report.

"Could you show me the horn?" she asked.

Dalmin took it out and handed it to her. She looked at it appraisingly, then smiled. "You're right, there's still blood sticking to it."

"You can keep it if you want", he said generously.

"No, keep it yourself. You marked it as your trophy now, after all."

Dalmin grinned brightly and winked at Reena, who rolled her eyes.

"How was it in Fort Eden? What do you think about it?"

Before Ezakiel could stop her, Reena started. "It was quite interesting. We didn't only meet Ashvelts Vindel and Merquel, but Seid as well."

Erris lifted her eyebrows at that. "Really? Is he still the hunk I remember?"

"Yup, he is. And he was topless, too."

Erris pouted. "Why in the world did I have to miss that?"

Reena really seemed to go at it. "And it was not only him. There was this other guy with him. He didn't look half bad either."

All alarms started to ring in Ezakiels head. His mother looked at her in wonder. "What other guy?"

She couldn't answer, for Ezakiel answered in her stead. "Dante."

Erris was shocked. All swooning over Seid was forgotten. Relief and dismay struggled for domination on her face. He could understand her well.

Reena was quite surprised. "You know him? Why didn't you say anything?"

He sighed. "He was originally from this village. But things happened, so he left."

His mother continued. "His mother died giving birth to him, and his father was an exceptional hunter. He taught his son all he knew, and it turned out that his potential was even greater than his fathers." She paused to gather herself. "One day, about sixteen years ago, the two of them were hunting in the mountains together. According to Dante, a blizzard separated them and drove him into a cave."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Ezakiel could see that Reena was starting to feel uneasy, catching the solemn tension that had grasped everyone else. He himself knew, what was coming, even had experienced part of this story himself, but he still felt anxious.

"In this cave he found a monster, completely covered in ice. It was larger than anything he had ever seen, with pitch-black spikes and huge tusks. We knew it only from the legends. The Black God. The calamity. Akantor."

Reena inhaled sharply and paled. It seemed as if she wanted to say something, but her voice failed her. Her hands started shaking.

"A beautiful eastern sword stuck in one of its claws, with some kind of seal wrapped around the hilt. Dante pulled it out and took it back to the village, only to learn that his father hadn't returned yet. The village elder was terrified upon seeing the weapon."

"Why?" Reena asked with a trembling voice.

Erris sighed agonized. "Because in olden times it was used to seal away Akantor into the ice for all eternity – and Dante had broken that seal."

Ezakiel wouldn't have imagined that it was possible for Reena to pale even further, but she did. She had to press her hands flat on the tabletop, for they were shaking furiously now.

Erris continued. "Soon after that, we heard a roar that seemed to come from hell itself, so horrible it was. Dante ran back to the mountains, looking for his father, but found only his hand. Akantor escaped and Dante swore revenge. He left the village shortly after that, taking only the sword and the seal with him. We never saw him again." She concluded the story with another sigh.

Reena was completely appalled. "Because of him… Akantor…" She desperately shook her head. "All the dead… were his fault?"

Erris lowered her head. "We never blamed him. Never. He couldn't have known, and how should he? But of course he didn't want to hear about that. 'I killed my father!' he said. What should we have done? What should anyone have done? We couldn't do anything." She sounded bitter. "I can understand what you feel now, but please, don't hate him. I lost my husband and Ezakiel his father. Hatred and revenge lead to nothing but sadness and suffering."

An uneasy silence filled the room. Ezakiel, Dalmin, Zeshen and Erris thought back to the day sixteen years ago, when the roar of Akantor changed their lives. Reena thought about Mordecai, whom she knew so little but missed so much.

"I'm sorry", Erris eventually said. "This is not how your homecoming should've been. Akantor is dead, Dante's revenge carried out and our loved ones can rest in peace. We should allow the past the same."

Ezakiel nodded and rose. "Maybe we can talk some other time. We wanted to chose our next quest anyway."

"Do that. I still have work to do, too, so see you later." Ezakiel knew that she was lying, but he respected her wish to be alone. Even after all this time, the wound in her soul hadn't stopped bleeding as well.

They left her office and went to the bulletin-board. He hadn't even glanced at it when Reena put a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at her.

She seemed to be fighting with herself and looked to the ground. Eventually, she took a deep breath and lifted her gaze again. "Ezakiel… I want to see it."

He knew what she was talking about, but wanted to hear it from her. "What do you want to see?"

"…The volcanic belt. I want to see… where it happened."

He nodded. "Should we accept a scouting mission?"

"No, that's not necessary. You have… _we_ have something to do."

He looked deep into her eyes. She seemed to be resolved to face the ghosts of her past, just as he did long ago. "Very well. But we choose something easy."

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

In the meantime, Zeshen had examined the bulletin-board and taken off one of the papers. "What about this one?" She gave it to Ezakiel.

He read it and considered. "Basarios, huh? Well, why not?"

"Isn't that a baby-Gravios?" Reena asked.

"That's right", Dalmin answered. "Pretty weak compared to the big ones if you ask me."

Ezakiel laughed a little. "Most experienced hunters who already faced a Gravios make fun of them. But it's still a formidable opponent."

"What do I have to know agout it?" she asked.

Ezakiel thought for a few seconds. "Basarios' are about twenty feet long and ten feet high. They have a rocky skin, but it's not as hard as that of a Gravios. They also have wings, but they can't fly, and their tails are too short to be useful in combat." He smirked. "They use it anyway. Further, they can spray venomous gases, so we'll have to drink an antidote before we fight it. Especially dangerous is its breath of fire. It can either launch a small ball of magma that detonates upon contact or a concentrated beam that can easily burn the flesh off your bones."

Reena seemed a lot less relaxed. "I thought it wasn't as hard."

"There's no need to worry", he assured her. "Both the fire and the gas put quite a strain on it. Also, its firebeam hardly ever works in the first place, since it has little to no experience with using it. Only Gravios' really can rely on that. Most of the time it will try to trample us, just like the Monoblos. But that one was a lot better at that. Basarios' are also quite slow. To sum it up, as long as you don't feed yourself to it, you should be fine."

"What a relief", she sighed. "When should we get going?"

Ezakiel tried to keep up his calm face, but apparently it didn't work. "The day after tomorrow, huh?" she asked mischievously.

"We'll rest today, prepare tomorrow and set off the next morning."

"Yeah, right", she said with a grin.

xxxxxxxxxx

They met at the market the next morning. Dalmin and Zeshen were looking for the antidote while Ezakiel and Reena stocked up on supplies.

They had just gotten everything they needed when Reena spoke up. "Say, what was your father like?" When Ezakiel looked at her in astonishment, she quickly added: "I mean, Zeshen told me about what he did for her and her father. I knew he was a good hunter, but… well, I just want to know a little more about him."

"I see", he simply said. "My father was the best hunter this village had ever seen, and also a great person. He was altruistic and always ready to help, but also a little chaotic. You know, it was actually him who was supposed to become Administrator, but everyone – including him – knew that he had no talent for administrative work at all. That's why my mother was chosen. She was almost as gifted as him, but also quite neat." He had to smile at that. "They hunted together for years, along with two friends of my father, Wenh and Borel, and gradually fell in love. I was born soon after that. Two years later Goras and Esmerelle came to Pokke, and Dalmin and I started to spend a lot of time together. No one doubted that I would become a hunter as well some day, so my father started to teach me how to fight when I was barely six. I in return trained Dalmin and later Zeshen."

Reena nodded. "Right, she told me about that."

He remained silent for a few seconds. "When I was ten, Dante broke the seal of the Black God. My fathers group was sent out to stop the beast before it could attack inhabited areas, when it became clear what it was. My mother wanted to come along, but he insisted that she stood here. Maybe he knew what he was up to." He interrupted himself to find the words. "We found their corpses in the snow the next day. Akantor was gone. They were buried on the same evening. At my father's grave, I vowed to avenge him, but you knew what became of that."

Reena didn't seem to know what to say. "You don't have to worry about it", he soothed her. "As I said, it's long since past."

"We have to look ahead, right?" she asked.

He nodded. "You know, my mother knows a saying she always recites when speaking at funerals. 'Remember the dead, but fight for the living'. This is what we have to do now.

Her gaze went into an invisible distance. "Your mother really is a strong woman. You're strong, too. My father broke at his loss, but you fight on, gaining strength out of it. And this saying!" She sighed. "I wish, my father would've heard it back then. Maybe he wouldn't be as miserable as he is now."

"Is it really that bad?" he asked.

"Mhm. He's either sitting in his office or watching other hunters train. He stays in shape, too, but, since that day, never hunted again. Sometimes it is as if he's only living half a life. I know he longs for it, but he's simply too afraid."

Now it was him who was at a loss for words to ease her pain. She continued a few seconds later. "We should drop this subject. We have remembered the dead now, so we should prepare to fight for the living."

xxxxxxxxxx

They set off the next morning. It took about four days to reach the edge of the volcanic belt. Dondruma was just a day worth of marching away from there. It was impressive that the largest city of the continent could thrive as well while being so close to the most dangerous region.

The landscape they crossed now was grey and lifeless. It also would have seemed cold, had it not been for the heat that was caused by the closeness to active volcanoes.

Very soon they reached higher regions, which were littered with caves. From there they could also see the sea. The volcanic belt was located on a large peninsula which it covered entirely. Thus it was commonly assumed that this peninsula was actually created by the volcanic activities.

They stopped in front of the largest cave. "Let's drink our Cool Drinks", Ezakiel ordered. He took a small, white bottle out of his pocket and drank its content. "Do you all have your cloths?" he asked. All of them took out folded, red cloths, put them before their mouths and noses and knotted them behind their necks. He had insisted on bringing those along, for there were placed inside the cave-system where streams of lava flowed freely. Aside from the obvious danger these caused, poisonous vapours came out of the molten rock. These cloths, however, protected them thoroughly.

Ezakiel then addressed Reena. "Since you've never been here before, I have to warn you. It's a lot hotter in there than it was in the desert. The Cool Drinks make the heat bearable, but it will still be bad. You need to save your strength."

"I got it", came the confident reply.

He nodded approvingly. "Good, then let's go." With that they entered the cave.

After a few steps they reached a large room. There were several exits, but all except one were flooded with lava. The walls were of black volcanic rock, but due to the light of the molten rock they glowed in an eerie red. The sudden heat hit them like a hammerblow, and they felt as if they had to fight a physical resistance for the first few steps. He could see both astonishment and fear in Reenas eyes as she looked at the deadly liquid.

"We have to watch out around these seas", he told her. "Basarios' and Gravios' can survive easily in there. Our prey could hide there and ambush us."

She looked even more discouraged than before, but it couldn't be helped. _It's better for her to find it out this way than experiencing it herself cluelessly._ In fact a lot of hunters had died like this without having the opportunity to fight back.

They continued onward. Slowly they got accustomed to the brutal heat. Even though it was still extreme, they could at least block it out good enough to keep up a good pace. Luckily they knew very well how to find the monster, even though Ezakiel wasn't looking forward to it. He held a map of the underground in his hands all the time. It has been drawn by several hunters during just as several quests. Without it they would already have been lost.

However, he wasn't looking for the Basarios, at least not with the map. Even if they knew the exact location the monster was at when it had last been sighted, it would long since be gone. Instead he was looking for a large chamber that was located almost exactly in the middle of the system. From there it was a rather short way to almost any place of the underground. That is why it was called the "central chamber" by most hunters.

Eventually they reached it. Ezakiel handed the map to Dalmin, went into the centre of the room and knelt down. He could hear Reena asking what he was doing, but blocked out her voice as well as the replies. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he took out a small, orange bottle and opened it. It was a psychoserum, an invention of the Guilds alchemists, as horrible as it was useful. He pulled down his cloth, closed his eyes and drank.

An unbelievably disgusting sensation spread in his mind and seemed to tear it to all directions at once. Only barely could he resist the force and concentrate on a single word, enhancing it with all the associations he could think of.

_Basarios._

The feeling subsided until only one, strong pull remained. He stood up, waved to his friends while seeing the world in trance, and then ran.

The others knew this would happen and followed him close behind. He rushed through corridors and chambers, jumped over fissures and boulders – only perceiving the pull. With his last bit of concentration he made sure that he didn't lose his friends while intoxicated.

About quarter an hour later they reached a large, almost empty room. The only object inside it was the Basarios. It still hadn't noticed them and just stood there, as was common for these monsters. They only got active while hunting or fighting.

Ezakiel broke off his concentration and sank to his knees, breathing heavily. Dalmin came over immediately and helped him get back on his feet, while Zeshen observed their prey. Reena looked at him, worried.

"Well done, my friend", Dalmin said and put a hand on his shoulder. "Everything went all right." With that he wanted to say that he was able to keep track of their movement on the map, so they weren't lost.

Ezakiel needed another minute to regain his breath. He took his water hose from his belt and drank a little. "It's okay, I'm fine. We can start." His body still didn't fully obey him, but he knew from experience that it was just a matter of seconds from this point. "Let's drink the antidote." They uncorked small, violet bottles and emptied them. Even though they could not sense a change, they knew that the monster's poison could no longer harm them. "Even with the antidote, you must still watch out for the poison-clouds", Ezakiel warned. "They can't harm us, but it's hard to breathe in there, so be careful." Shortly after that, the effect of the serum vanished entirely.

It wasn't looked at with mixed feelings for nothing. This drug connected the mind of those who drank it with those of the monsters. By a concentrated effort of will it was possible to select a specific monster, mostly the prey. The pull one felt led them to this very being. However, this intoxication took a great toll on ones body and mind. Fortunately, one could end the trance on ones own accord. No one knew, how long it could last, and no one cared to find out, for the last one who tried died from exhaustion.

Another minute later he stepped at Zeshens side and assessed their opponent. The wyvern had hardly moved at all since he saw it a few minutes earlier. Lethargically, it simply stood there. He knew that it could go on like this for many hours, so he quietly drew his sword. The others prepared for the battle as well.

"We surround it from all sides. Dalmin, you take the front, Reena its rear, Zeshen and I attack from the sides. The only truly vulnerable spot is its belly." He looked at each of them. "Are you ready?" All three of them nodded. "Good, then let's get started."

He turned towards the beast and raised his weapon. Dalmin already rushed ahead to gain the attention of the monster. Ezakiel had to stifle a laugh when he listened to his friend.

"Come on, you fat ass, eat me already! Yeah, that means you!" He danced to the side and shot it in its face. "Get a move on, you lazy bum!" His opponent growled at him and tried to bite him. Laughing maniacally, he jumped back and attacked it again.

Now Ezakiel charged forward as well. Dalmin saw it and avoided another bite by jumping aside, thus luring the monster to face away from the others. "Zeshen, you go left", Ezakiel called and ran to its right flank.

They were up against a rather small specimen, so its belly was about at Ezakiels chest-level. Since he couldn't do overhead attacks – the wing was in the way – he tried a hard thrust. The blade cut only a few inches into the tough shell, but with a little patience he could make a nice hole into it.

Zeshen had more success. Due to her being smaller and having the shorter weapons, she was almost unrestricted. She slashed away at the monster's belly, chipping off small fragments. After about a minute she could see the first drops of blood already.

Meanwhile, Reena shot one arrow after another, aiming mostly for the base of its tail, since it was easiest to hit. Her attacks didn't cause much damage, but they confused the Basarios.

It could hardly retaliate at all. At first, it hardly seemed to notice their attacks at all, since it was so focused on Dalmin, but then it realized that it was surrounded. It tried to flail around with its tail and even hit Ezakiel, but the blow was too weak to knock him down. After that it started to forcefully beat its wings. This caused some hefty gusts, driving Ezakiel and Zeshen back and thus buying the monster some time.

However, it hadn't thought about Dalmin. He charged his weapon and aimed at the monster's head. The wyvern-fire was released on point-blank range, engulfing the head in fire, and even though its shell was nearly immune to fire, the sheer force of the attack shook the beast. It reared up, roared in pain and fear and thus bared its belly.

Ezakiel had waited for this. He quickly jumped in front of it and stroke out, cleaving his sword down with a shout. The sharpened steel cut clean through the shell and the soft flesh beneath. Blood poured out of the deep wound, staining the ground. He jumped back and ran to the monster's side again.

The Basarios seemed to have enough, though. It spread its wings, roared and charged ahead. Dalmin could avoid it just in time. The wyvern headed for the other exit of the cave, all the while emitting a purple mist.

"That thing's hightailin' it outta here!" Dalmin yelled. "After it."

They ran towards the exit and the gas. "That's the poison!" Ezakiel called. "Hold your breath!" They did as they were told and broke through the cloud a few seconds later.

Even though it was tranquil by nature, the monster was faster than any human once it was running all out, but the injury hindered it. Both parties were about as fast, thus it depended on who had the better stamina, and Ezakiel considered all advantages on their side due to the wound. They just had to run it down before they could finish it off.

The race soon neared its end when they came back to the surface. They came out on a vast, natural plaza. It seemed to be almost perfectly round and was very even. The diameter was about a mile, maybe a little more.

The Basarios rushed towards the other end of the plaza, where they could clearly make out a large sea of lava. If their prey made it in there, they would have days of search again. It seemed to know that, too, for it gave it its all and got even faster. Ezakiel could see the monster reaching the lava, giant jaws breaking out of it and lifting the wyvern up as if it had no weight.

They watched in bewilderment, as a gigantic, black nightmare of spikes, claws, fangs and muscles crept out of the molten rock and smashed the Basarios on the ground almost nonchalantly. It was bigger than any Gravios they had ever seen, had sinister, red eyes and two huge tusks, each of them longer than Dalmin was tall. The horrible maw started to shred and devour the wyvern.

"What the hell is that?" Reena called shocked.

"I don't know!" Ezakiel answered. He too was terrified of the ease with which this beast had just killed a Basarios, but he also knew that they were standing here like food on a luxury plate. He looked around and saw another cave, very wide but low enough to lose it in there, only a few hundred meters away from them. "Come!" he bellowed and sprinted towards it.

"Where are you going?" Reena asked but followed him.

"Away!" he called. "We could never take that on!"

They pumped their legs as fast as they could, but now the behemoth had noticed them, too. It came after them with huge steps and let out a deafening roar – a roar he _recognized!_

They were almost there, but the distance between them decreased with every passing second. It would have caught up with them in a matter of seconds.

Suddenly, Reena seemed to stumble. He looked over his shoulder in horror, but noticed that she had indeed drawn one of the arrows fastened to her calves. She inserted the arrow, whirled around and aimed. _Has she gone insane? It will crush her! _The others were appalled as well.

"Cover your eyes!" she called, shot and immediately held her arm in front of her face. Thinking quickly, they did the same. A second later an extremely bright light exploded, only to fade away the next instance. The monster cried out in anguish.

Now Ezakiel understood. It was a flash arrow. Similar to flash bombs they created a glaring light to blind monsters. Even this one didn't seem to be resistant to it. She had bought them precious time.

They ran onward, knowing that they stood no chance against this behemoth. But now the time sufficed. Soon they entered the cave and hastened around a turn in the corridor. The floor was even, so they had no problems running all out. Several steps later they finally came to a halt. The monster roared again, but this time they could hear anger and disappointment. Then they heard its footsteps, finally growing distant.

They sunk to the ground, utterly exhausted. They were safe.

"Thanks, Reena", Ezakiel gasped. "You just saved our lives."

She was far too agitated to appreciate his praise. "What the hell was that?" she repeated.

Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen looked at each other, none of them saying a word. They didn't have to. They knew it all. After a nod from his friends, Ezakiel sighed. "That was Akantor!"

Had he slapped her in the face, she wouldn't have been more shocked. She stared at him with her mouth open, completely unable to grasp a clear thought. "This is impossible", she whispered eventually. "You must be mistaken."

"We know that roar", Zeshen said darkly. "It was Akantor, there's no doubt about that."

"But that was sixteen years ago. Maybe you just don't remember it right", she objected desperately.

Dalmin only shook his head. "You don't forget something like that. Not in a lifetime."

She lowered her head. "But my grandfather slew it. It never showed up again."

"No one knew for sure", Zeshen answered. "There has been no corpse, neither Mordecais nor Akantors. There never was any proof."

"So he died in vain", Reena stated sadly.

"I don't think so", Ezakiel interjected, making her look at him. "He wouldn't have backed down without a fight. Maybe he had injured Akantor enough for it to retreat and lick its wounds."

"For fifteen years?" she asked in doubt.

He raised his hands helplessly. "How am I supposed to know? There must be a reason for it not showing up for so long a time. That's all I can say."

After that they were silent for a while. Dalmin spoke up first. "What should we do now? We can't go back, that's for sure." He looked at the map. "Great! Just great! Neither the plaza nor this tunnel are on the map. We have no idea where we are, for crying out loud!"

Ezakiel thought about it for a while. _What can we do? We have Akantor in our backs and who knows what lies in front of us. But at least there is a small chance that we'll find an exit ahead. We don't really have a choice._ "I suggest we rest up for a bit, then explore the cave. We can't take on the Black God, anyway." Then he leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. Not to sleep, that would be madness in their situation. He just needed to calm down a bit.

Zeshens voice, however, made him snap out of it. "Ezakiel, take a look at this." He looked at her questioningly. "Take a look at the ground." _What could be wrong with the ground?_ He asked himself and looked down. Then he was startled. It was _paved_! "That… that's a street!"

Dalmin and Reena saw it as well, now. "A street?" the giant asked cluelessly. "Where did that come from?"

"More importantly", Reena said. "Where does it lead to?"

"There's only one way to find out", Ezakiel decided. "Let's go!" While they followed the strange road, he put his right hand on the hilt of his sword, prepared to draw it at any time. The tunnel grew brighter the further they advanced. Soon they neared the last turn, ready for everything that could possibly await them behind it.

Except for what they actually saw.

In front of them was a huge _city_!

Originally, I wanted to combine this chapter and the next, but it wouldn't have turned out well. So I decided to make this chap a little shorter, so I could update it sooner.

The next one will be a gigantic plot bomb. Everything will be explained there. In fact, it will be the most important chap of this fic. Thus, I will need quite some time to make it turn out well, so please be patient with me. You won't regret it.

Anyway, please read&review.


	8. Shadow of the past

Finally, the true plot of this fic kicks in. I've been working towards this for now, so enjoy.

Before that, however, I want to thank LordVoldios and Tical Calrissian for their assistance, as well as Kuzosama for beta-reading. I couldn't have done it without you guys.

And of course I also thank my reviewers who had such faith in my work. So please, read&review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter. I also don't own the charactefrs or locations of "By Our Blades". But I do own my characters, my plot and almost everything in this chapter.

­**Chapter eight: Shadow of the past**

The city was gigantic! Hundreds, thousands of buildings, all build of stone, stretched before them. The closer they were to the other end of the cavern, the more impressive they looked. Each of them was decorated with black gargoyles resembling Remobras. Never before had they seen something similar. Not even Dondruma was so huge.

The city was dominated by the massive palace that towered over it. Its walls were pitch-black, but countless giant braziers illuminated every bit of it. It stood higher than the rest of the city on a plateau. A long, narrow stairway led to it. It was the only way.

Ezakiel marvelled at this sight, while he looked for another exit. Unfortunately, he didn't find one. The only way out was behind them, and that one was out of the question.

His thoughts were spoken out by Dalmin. "That's a dead end for crying out loud!"

"We can't possibly go back", Reena said certainly, but afraid.

Zeshen crossed her arms. "Then what can we do? There is no other way."

Ezakiel looked around again, and then an idea struck him. "Maybe there is one." The others looked at him in surprise. "Just take a look at the palace. The plateau and the stairway make it a perfect bastion on its own. The stairs are narrow, and together with the difference in height, it makes it almost impossible to take it by storm. In fact it would take only a few defenders to hold it for a long time, even when they are horribly outnumbered."

"What's your point?" Zeshen asked. "You're up to something, aren't you?"

Ezakiel nodded. "Whoever built this cared a great deal about safety. So they will not have depended on the stairway alone." Zeshen seemed to understand, but the others were still clueless, so he continued. "If this defence were to be overcome, they would need an escape route. If we manage to find that, we can get out of here without having to deal with Akantor."

Reena seemed quite relieved. "You're right. That should work. Shall we get going?"

He looked around once more, but couldn't see any threats. "Okay, but be careful. Something's wrong with this city."

They slowly moved out and followed the main road that led directly to the stairway. While they came closer to the palace, they could examine the gargoyles up close. They were built quite realistically and all took in the same position: They sat on wooden beams that stuck out of the buildings. Their wings hung down, their heads lowered and their eyes closed. For some reason, Ezakiel felt uneasy when he looked at them. He could barely keep himself from touching one.

Eventually they reached the forecourt of the stairway, a semi-circular area. Strange runes were engraved in its borders. More than everything else did these appear strange to him. After all, even though they were somewhat decorative, they were barely visible even in this relatively good light, making him wonder why they were there in the first place.

Hesitatingly, he stepped over them and instantly realized that this was a mistake. The runes started to glow in a sinister red. In the next second they heard a deafening screech. Startled, they turned around.

The gargoyles had risen from their positions and approached them, many thousands at once. Stunned, the hunters watched them still increasing in number.

"Oh, shit", Dalmin mumbled. Then the paralysis faded out. "Let's get outta here!"

Ezakiel drew his sword and looked around hectically. The monsters came from every direction, except from the palace, blocking the way back. They had only one chance: Ascending the stairway and seeking shelter in the palace.

"Quick, up the stairs!" he shouted, shouldered his weapon and ran upwards, taking several stairs with one step. The others followed close behind.

Reena drew another flash-arrow, inserted it and turned around while ascending backwards. She warned the others with a short shout and fired. The arrow pierced the Remobra that was nearest to them and unleashed its light. The Monsters cried in pain, some even fell to the ground or collided with each other, but they recovered only seconds later and continued their pursuit.

When they had crossed the stairway about halfway up, Reena turned around and focused on running as fast as she could. The screeching behind them grew louder every moment.

Ezakiel whirled around a few seconds later, taking a small, yellow ball out of his pocket. "Flash bomb!" he called, stroke out and hurled it towards the enemy. Again they stopped, but not for long.

Then they reached the end of the stairs. A vast forecourt stretched before them. It was about three hundred feet until the palace gates, but the monsters were very close now. Furthermore, Ezakiel realized that he made a small, but possibly deadly mistake: The palace gates were closed, and he had no idea how they should open them in this situation.

In the meantime the monsters had closed in on them. The hunters turned around and raised their weapons, but continued to walk backwards. Only Reena still ran all out.

Ezakiel struck the first wyvern that came in range, and severed one of its wings. But several others took its place and even more followed in their wake. He hacked and slashed fiercely at them like a madman, killing the monsters as fast as they came, but there were just too many. Dalmin used his wyvern-fire and scorched many of them, while Zeshen just hacked away.

The Monsters died in dozens, but even this carnage did little to decimate them. They were attacked time and time again, and only their armours kept them from being torn asunder. Zeshen didn't have such protection, but her evasive skills made up for that. But Ezakiel was worried about what would happen when they couldn't retreat any more.

It was in this moment that he realized that they would die. They were not simply fighting against a pack of Remobras, but literally against a legion. Of course, these creatures were quite frail and thus easy to kill, but in such numbers they were, in their own fashion, just as dangerous as Akantor.

He looked back over his shoulder. They had almost reached the gates. Reena was closest to them. He also saw that there was no way to open them from outside. However, they were covered in the same runes they found in front of the stairway, so he wasn't really eager to reach it.

He turned his attention back to his enemies. They seemed to have increased in numbers again. Resigned, he engaged them again, ready to sell his life as costly as he was able. His friends followed suit. They were just a few feet away from the gates, so their escape was almost over anyway.

Reena prepared her bow and inserted an arrow. She fell back a bit more to keep some distance between her and the monsters and then began her assault. She didn't even have to aim, since the monsters were so close together.

It was hopeless. The wyverns surrounded Ezakiel, Dalmin and Zeshen. It was as if they were standing in a whirlwind of claws and fangs. Ezakiel had taken to simply whirl his sword around. They caused a horrible bloodbath, but the end was at hand.

A few hundred of them left the rest of the group and headed for Reena. Panicking, she retreated until she touched the gates with her back.

The runes on it illuminated in the same colour like those on the forecourt of the stairway, but this time, something strange happened. The Remobras seized their attacks all at once and started to howl in unison. They didn't even fight back when the others attacked them. After a few seconds, they moved again - and fled.

Before Reena could feel relief, the next miracle happened: The gates opened on their own, not making a sound.

Ezakiel still held his sword at the ready, even though there were no enemies left to use it against. Dalmin and Zeshen looked around in bewilderment, completely taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"What was that? What's going on here?" Ezakiel asked. He was glad that the onslaught was over, but didn't like the fact that such surprises occurred without his control.

"I don't know either", Reena admitted. "I just touched that gate. Then it started to glow and the Remobras left." She looked quite confused.

"Maybe that means that the palace is safe", Zeshen assumed.

"Well, I ain't gonna take that for granted", Dalmin replied.

Ezakiel looked at the glowing gates with doubt. They were wide open, as if to invite them, but it could just as well be a trap. But he was also aware that they had no other choice. If they went back, the Remobras would kill them, and if not they, then Akantor. "Let's go in. But don't let your guard down."

The others didn't look happy about this, but they knew that it was the only way. So they readied their weapons and entered the palace.

But they already stopped in the entrance hall, this time out of amazement. The walls and floors, in fact everything was pitch black, for, as unbelievable as it was, the whole palace consisted of obsidian. The hall was gigantic, easily able to contain all their houses and the Guild Hall as well. To their left and right were gates, similar to the one they just went through, but significantly smaller. The room was dominated by a huge stairway that almost covered half of the space on its own. It led to another gate that was almost as big as the first one. The only sources of light were the countless braziers that engulfed everything in a sinister red. In this light, Ezakiel could make out more stairs beside the large one, leading down into the darkness.

Dalmin looked around cluelessly. "Where should we go? Left, right, up down or back?"

"Up", Reena said.

Ezakiel looked at her in wonder. "How do you know?"

She returned his gaze, but her eyes seemed clouded, as if she was half asleep. "I don't know. Or rather, I do, but not why." She wasn't only unusually dazed, but quite ill at ease as well. "Ezakiel, I feel strange. Ever since we encountered Akantor. Something's wrong with me, and even more so with this place. I'm afraid."

He put a hand to his chin in thought. "This place really seems fishy to me, but we have to proceed. I'm sorry, but there is no other way."

Reena nodded, so they ascended the stairs and stood in front of the gate. Ezakiel saw that there was no handle or anything like it either, so he touched it, but nothing happened. He tried to push harder, and even asked Dalmin to help him, but to no avail.

Reena came closer and examined it. She raised a hand and touched one of the runes. It immediately flared up, followed by all others, and the gate opened.

They were surprised by that, but Ezakiel understood. All they had to do was to touch the runes. He stepped forward and looked at the room before them. It too was huge, but almost completely empty. Only another set of stairs that led to a gate was built on the other side of the hall. Hesitatingly, they walked forward.

A few steps later they saw that there was a line of runes on the ground, stretching from one wall to the other. In order to reach the stairs, they had to walk over it. "Even more runes", he said worriedly. "Listen. We have to cross these, but it might trigger another trap. Are you ready?" They all agreed. "All right, then here we go." He took a deep breath and stepped over them.

To his relief, nothing happened. The signs stayed dark and lifeless, as if they were nothing more than they seemed to be. Reena, Dalmin and Zeshen followed him with the same result. They eyed the runes suspiciously, but came to no conclusion. Since it was futile to simply stand around, they went on.

Another such line was right in front of the stairs. Unwilling to let himself being stopped by mere paintings, Ezakiel simply stepped over it. Nothing happened this time, too. He took that as a good sign and touched the rune on the gate Reena had touched on the one before. But it stayed closed. Lacking any idea, he stepped back and glared at it.

Reena approached it again. Her gaze seemed distant. As if in trance, she raised her hand again and touched it. It began to glow and opened. Ezakiel was astonished. "How do you do that?"

"I don't know", she mumbled. It was clear that she didn't fully perceive her surroundings.

Slowly but surely he started to really fear this place. Something was wrong with this building, with the whole city. First they meet the not-so-dead Akantor, then they activate some strange runes, are chased by thousands of Remobras, which retreat without any reason when they opened the gates. And now they learn that Reena is the only one who can open them in the first place, with a mere touch to boot, even though she didn't even know why. He didn't understand anything anymore.

But pondering wouldn't help them either, so he just continued. Behind the gate was yet another hall, almost similar to the prior one, except that the gate at its end was a bit smaller. Even the rune-lines were at the same locations, but didn't react as well.

Again Reena opened the gate with a simple touch. Behind that was not another hall, as they had expected, but instead a long, wide corridor. Contrary to the rest of the palace, however, it was richly decorated. The heads of monsters they knew, such as Rathalos or Kushala Daora, hung on the walls, but they were also made of obsidian. Especially outstanding were the banners that were placed on the walls every few meters. Each of them was flanked by two braziers. They showed a stylised flame and a mighty dragon coming out of it. The background was black, the symbol crimson.

Ezakiel felt uneasy when he looked at these banners. Fear rose in him, like a hazy prospect of an impending evil - or a threatening shadow of the past.

They crossed the corridor and reached the gate. It was the largest one they encountered so far, including the one at the entrance. "Behind this should be the throne room", Ezakiel said. "There could be our way out as well as a deadly trap. Are you prepared?" Dalmin and Zeshen nodded in agreement, but Reena just approached and touched it.

xxxxxxxxxx

A strange sensation hit her. It was like her body didn't completely obey her, as if it acted of its own accord. Her hand found its way to the emblem of the realm carved into the obsidian of the gate. It didn't glow like the others, but rather, it started burning. Then the whole gate was set ablaze. Startled, the hunters stepped back.

A moment later it opened and revealed the throne room. It was enormous. The walls were quite low, and decorated with several braziers, while the ceiling was a canopy of flames. The floor was polished, mirroring it, so they felt like they were walking on fire. That was most likely the reason for the walls not being as high as in other castles, where they give the impression of greatness. At the end of the vast hall, a small gate was placed behind a large dais, most likely the escape route they were looking for, and on top the dais stood the throne.

They all froze when they laid eyes on it. It was massive, carved out of black granite. The backrest was decorated with numerous dragon-heads of the same material, which seemed to be hollow due to the fact that fire emitted through their open mouths and glaring eyes. The armrests were fashioned in the same way, and Reena could clearly notice the heads at their ends to resemble Akantor. But it wasn't the martial aura of the throne that shocked the hunters.

It was the man who sat on it.

He sat perfectly erect; his arms placed on the armrests, and looked every bit like a ruler. He wore a sleeveless, black leather breastplate that was decorated with the realm's emblem. His lower arms were wrapped in fingerless, black leather gauntlets, with red chains slung around them, forming a strange geometrical pattern. His attire was completed by a light, armoured tasset and heavy greaves, also in the colour of the night. He was very muscular, without looking the least bit clumsy.

The most remarkable thing, however, was his face. He looked only a few years older than them, definitely not older than thirty, but his wild hair that fell on his shoulders was as white as snow. His skin was very pale, like that of someone fatally ill. His eyes were white as well, with almost no pupils. For some reason, his features seemed familiar to Reena, but she was sure she never met this man.

Even though his eyes made him seem blind, he pierced them with an icy glare that sent shivers down their spines even at this scorching place. "It has been a long time since I last saw humans." His voice was deep, but as soft as silk, his articulation razor-sharp. A strange undertone resonated within, but even though she could not put a finger on it, she sensed the danger emanating from this stranger.

"Who are you?" Ezakiel asked after regaining his composure.

"Who I am?" the man replied. A trace of anger entered his voice, maybe also amusement. "I could ask you the same thing. After all, you entered _my_ realm."

"Your realm?" Dalmin asked, confused. "These are just ruins. You're the only human we met since we came here."

The man chuckled. "Human..." He shook his head, then rose and descended the stairs with a slow, steady gait. "You are truly bold. You enter my realm, intrude my palace without my consent and even dare question my rule? I should burn you to ashes, you impertinent rats! But that would be rude, considering the occasion we have to celebrate!"

"Celebrate?" Ezakiel asked. "What are you talking about?"

The ominous stranger smiled, but this gesture missed everything a smile should have. On his lips it looked like the smirk of a cold-blooded murderer. "I am talking about our glorious reunion, of course. Wouldn't you agree... Reena?"

She was shocked to her very core. He knew her name! She never met him, let alone introduced herself to him. _Where the hell did he learn that!?_

He laughed loudly, making her flinch. "You are wondering how I know your name, are you not?" He calmed down again, but still smiled mockingly at her. "Only three people in this world are able to open the gates of my palace. The first is you, the second is your father and the third is I. Well? Do you understand what I mean?"

She couldn't say a word, but at least managed to shake her head. He sighed disappointedly, but that seemed as false as his cheerfulness. _He's toying with us!_

"I really should introduce myself, then..." He stood erect, glaring them down with indomitable authority, and spread his arms. "I am the second body of Astot, the high king of Nofresc, this realm of fire. I rule over the flames, and soon the entire world as well." A cruel grin appeared on his lips as he stared deep into Reenas eyes.

"My name is Mordecai."

_Mordecai! That's absolutely impossible!_ Paralyzed, she looked at the eerie man who claimed to be her long lost grandfather. Now that she was looking for it, she could easily make out the resemblance. He looked almost perfectly like her father had ten years ago. But it couldn't possibly be him. This guy seemed a lot younger than the man whom he claimed to be his son.

"You're lying!" she yelled. "The real Mordecai would be about sixty by now. Besides, he is dead. Akantor killed him fifteen years ago."

"My youth confuses you. I understand that. I will soon explain this to you, but before that you need to know about Nofresc." He sneered at her again. "After all, as my granddaughter you are also a princess of this realm. You have a right to know its history."

"I'm a princess?" she asked puzzledly.

"Of course, only by blood. You dishonoured your legacy, as well as your father. I would never grant you a claim to the throne of fire. How could I, when you do not even know your realm?"

Reena decided not to press on this matter. Although she had dreamed of being a princess when she was a little girl, she surely hadn't imagined it to be like this. "Then tell me. I want to know what's going on here."

The king nodded. "To understand what has happened to me, you first need to comprehend the past - the past of Nofresc." Even though they considered themselves to be in danger, they were eager to get some answers.

"Nofresc, the kingdom of fire, was founded here, in this very mountain. Due to its connection with the land, it soon controlled the entire region. But it was not unchallenged. Look." He pointed towards the ceiling, and as they lifted their gaze, the flames became sort of transparent, showing a great and beautiful castle surrounded by a gigantic city, bustling with life. "The kingdom of Schrade controlled the entire world. Only Nofresc remained independent. Unwilling to stay caged inside these caves, it decided to spread out into the rest of the continent. It kept colliding with Schrade, and minor skirmishes took place, most of the time started by Nofresc. Soon Schrade had enough." The picture above their heads changed, showing a gruesome battle. They could even hear the cries of the wounded and dying as burning arrows and shining swords hit their mark. "They attacked them and drove them back deep into their territory. Soon they had them cornered inside their capitol." He spread his arms again. "This place."

"So Schrade destroyed your realm," Zeshen assumed.

"No. They were but a step away from doing so. Indeed they already besieged its gates, but then fate changed in Nofresc's favour." The flames above them started to shine in a glaring white light. They could see a man with short, dark hair, wearing almost the exact same clothes as the man in front of them. He was rising from his throne, which didn't resemble the present one at all, but clearly stood in this room, and approached the light. "An almighty being calling itself 'The Ancestor' descended from the heavens, appeared before Astot, the high king of fire, and promised him a power that could bring Schrade to its knees. The only prize it demanded for that was his soul."

"His soul?" Reena asked, appalled.

"Yes, his soul. He had to swear absolute allegiance to the Ancestor, so in order to guarantee it, it took his soul. In exchange for that it gave him a grail, filled with its blood." They could see said grail appear in front of Astot. He took it and brought it to his lips. "The king drank it and was rewarded with powers you could not possibly imagine. Not only was he able to fight with the strength of many men, he could also create an unstoppable army, consisting of warriors no human could hope to overcome." Again the scene changed. To their horror it showed various monsters attacking their enemy with unparalleled fierceness. They could see Rathalos', Rathians', Monoblos' and almost all other species they knew. The king grinned at them. "Schrade soon dubbed these warriors 'monsters'."

"So this king is responsible for all the monsters and the suffering they caused?" Ezakiel asked in bewilderment.

"Precisely. This army effortlessly breached the enemies' lines and even crossed the sea to rid this world of them. Unfortunately, Schrade managed to find the means to put up a successful resistance. Thus, Astot was forced to create even more powerful servants. And so came the gatekeeper to be." The image of Akantor appeared, rising from the molten rock and plowing through the Schradian soldier's lines with little to no resistance. "It wrought havoc and brought death and despair to the enemy, but eventually he was defeated as well, when Schrade created a sword that could hurt it and sealed it away inside the northern ice."

Again they were startled. So the blade Dante wielded was an old Schradian secret weapon.

The king continued. "But one day he gave birth to the ultimate beast: The black dragon, the death bringer, Fatalis. Schrade tried everything to stop it, but all their efforts were in vain. Fatalis wiped them out and laid waste to their realm." Above them, the total destruction of the once beautiful city was shown. Fatalis flew over the houses, igniting them like tissue paper with a mere breath. Soon the entire city was set ablaze, and the dragon stood on top of the castle, roaring in rage and pleasure, surrounded with fire.

"But if Schrade was destroyed..." Ezakiel started "...why did Nofresc fall as well?"

The man made a face. Apparently, this topic was unpleasant for him. "Because Astot made a mistake: He underestimated Fatalis. Even though he could control it at any time, he had no idea how unstable it was. He could only keep it in check because he never gave the dragon a reason to resist him. After all, it craved for destruction and massacre, and he showed it where it could fulfil its desires. But when its work was done, that desire remained, and the only place left to fight was Nofresc." This time, nothing happened, most likely because he didn't want to see the events that ensued.

Dalmin couldn't stifle a laugh. "He whupped himself? What a ridiculous way to die."

Mordecai glared fiercely at him. "Even though you would be wise to watch your tongue, you unfortunately are right. Astot was unable to tame Fatalis, and Nofresc was annihilated. But that was not the end. By that time, Astot had achieved a power even death could not overcome. He remained in this world as a ghost, gathering strength to prepare his return. Centuries passed, until finally he found an opportunity. A curious woman entered this realm. He immediately assaulted her in order to claim her as the vessel for his rebirth. However, again he made a mistake, for the woman was pregnant, and instead of her, he possessed the soul of the unborn child. Thus, he was damned to wait idly, and the boy became a man." Again, he smirked. "You have probably already surmised it: I was this child."

"But still, Mordecai was a lot older back then than you are now," Reena called, not willing to believe such a twisted story of her bloodline.

"Patience, my darling. I will get to that. I was born with Astots power, due to my bond with him, and by using it, became a fabled hunter. Unfortunately, Astot had no possibility to force my will into submission, for he was too far away from the centre of his power. But since he couldn't stand having the descendants of Schrade to walk his realm unpunished, he used his might to summon back Fatalis, and ordered it to attack the world yet again. I take it you know what became of that plan."

Reena nodded. "My father repelled it."

"That is correct. My wretched son inherited some of my power as well and learned to use it. You as well received this power, because he was your father."

"Me too?" she asked cluelessly. That couldn't be true. She had never felt something even distantly resembling something like that. "You must be mistaken. I don't have such powers."

"Then answer me this: Why are you the only one capable of opening my gates? Why did my guards retreat to their posts when you touched the entrance to my palace?" To their surprise, on the ceiling they could see themselves being chased up the stairs by the Remobras. Reenas hesitation obviously was enough of an answer for him. "The reason is this very power. Even though you do not perceive it, you can still work Nofrescian magic. Of course, your blood has run thin due to the inferior blood in your lineage, so you are no match for me, but royal blood still runs within your veins. Even without my consent, you still are a member of the old royal dynasty of Nofresc."

Reena didn't know what to say. She had awakened this morning with the firm belief of being a regular hunter with a special heritage, but this was just too much.

"I speak the truth. What reason could I have to lie? And about my age, you will understand everything when you listen to my story."

"Then continue!" she demanded through gritted teeth.

"So be it. After Fatalis had failed, Astot knew that he could only be successful when he returned to his former greatness. So he gathered his power, waiting for an opportunity to lead me to Nofresc. Four years later a hunter from the Village of Pokke was kind enough to release the gatekeeper." A young Dante appeared above their heads, standing in front of the frozen calamity. He marvelled at a beautiful sword, grabbed the hilt and drew it out of the Akantors claw. Then the scene changed again, showing the mountainside collapsing and the Black God breaking free. "Astot made it cause some trouble so I would volunteer to face it. But it still took a year for the Guild to pin it down. Of course I relied on my powers when I fought it, but he suppressed them this time. Instead of letting me fight to the death as I had planned, he influenced me to escape and led me here. I reached this hall, the absolute centre of his reign, and sat down on the throne. With that he gained control over me and made me the new king of fire."

"I don't believe you!" Reena shouted once more. "My grandfather was a noble man. He would not have stooped so low."

"Indeed I resisted him for a long time, as foolish as it was. But in the end I came to realize the wisdom behind his words - and the power he offered. Just take a look at me: He even granted me eternal youth! I will stay young and strong, even in a thousand years, when all of you are long since reduced to ashes. From that day forth, he did no longer have to control me. I became his willing servant, his incarnation."

"But why?" she called desperately. "Why all the dead? Why all this evil? What reason do you have to cause so much suffering?"

"You want to know the reason?" he asked quietly and threateningly lowered his head. "Because you are vermin!" he roared. The hunters flinched. "Worthless insects! You are the loathsome descendants of our enemy! The human race has lost the right to walk over Nofrescian soil." He spread his arms. "I have ascended to something higher - something _better,_ and abandoned the weaknesses of humanity! Together with my warriors I will punish the sins of your ancestors. Humans are but cattle, they are prey to us!"

"You're one of them!" Reena yelled.

"But my king has purified me!" Mordecai's gaze became hard. "The power Nofresc once had shall be renewed. All shall bend their knee in front of me and accept me as their rightful ruler, before I execute my just Judgement! My wrath shall sweep across this world like a firestorm! Not a single mortal shall dare to resist! For their insolence to oppose me, they shall receive the ultimate punishment!"

Ezakiel drew his weapon and pointed it at the crazed monarch. "You've lost your mind, Mordecai. We won't let you realize the madness you're talking about." The others prepared for battle as well.

"You cannot possibly imagine the power you step up to. I will show you the might of the King of Fire!" The cruel smile vanished from his face, as well as the amusement in his eyes. He stretched his right arm to the side and spread his fingers.

A glaring red beam of light emerged from his palm, grew to about four feet in length and _solidified_, until it became a broad, red-glowing sword that sprouted flames a moment later.

Reena couldn't believe what she saw. The weapon had simply appeared out of thin air! She decided to wonder about it another time, for the king stepped closer to them, still holding his weapon to the side. "How long I have waited for the day a child of mine would come to give me what I deserve."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeshen asked.

"Do you really think I will fight you because you challenge me? Fools! I had already decided to kill you the moment you entered my palace. Just look what a powerful present you bring me: A fragment of the power of the Ancestor." He raised his left hand and clenched it to a fist. "All that is left for me to do is take it."

Reena stepped back in fear, whereas Ezakiel and Dalmin stood in front of her protectively. "Over our dead bodies", they said in unison.

The burning blade was pointed at them. "Then so be it. Take your predestined place... inside the eternal flames of my vengeance!"

He charged forward with superhuman speed and covered the distance between them in mere moments. Immediately he slashed his weapon around in a wild arc. Ezakiel and Dalmin could parry just in time, but the brute force of the blow hurled them off their feet.

Zeshen jumped at him and attacked him fiercely, but he blocked every strike. Eventually he uppercut her with his left fist, hitting her chin. She stumbled backwards and was sent to the ground by a concluding kick.

Reena fired an arrow at his head, but he simply raised his hand. The crimson chains on his Gauntlets started to glow, and in this very moment the arrow burned to ashes in mid-flight. Then he thrust his still glowing hand forward and fired a red sphere of light at her. It hit her square in the stomach and sent her flying backwards, screaming with pain.

Barely five seconds had passed since the fight started, and they already lay on the ground. Breathing and grunting heavily, they tumbled back up on their feet. Reena looked at Mordecai. He wasn't even out of breath. "You are just as pathetic as I assumed. What a pity. And here I thought you would be able to make my blood boil."

"This is far from over," Ezakiel said defiantly and raised his sword again. Dalmin and Zeshen stepped to his sides, ready to flank the king when he attacked next. Reena stood behind them and prepared another arrow.

"Well said, hunter, and true too. Even though you can not challenge me, you can at least be of some entertainment." He bent his knees, and dashed forward again, this time preparing a hefty thrust that could have easily skewered Ezakiel. The hunter batted the weapon aside and used both their momentum to ram his elbow into the kings face, while the other two attacked him from both sides.

At least, that was the plan.

However, instead of stumbling forward and into Ezakiel's attack, as they expected, Mordecai stopped on the spot and did a swift backward somersault that carried him several feet back. Dalmin and Zeshen were caught off guard by this move and ran into each other. Their enemy used this opportunity to hurl a fireball from his palm at the group.

Reena shot an arrow at him again. It flew over the magic fire and rushed towards the king. But he disappointed her again and evaded the projectile with stunning ease, as if he had done such things all his life. Meanwhile, Dalmin whirled around and managed to block the fiery sphere at the last possible second, but the impact shoved him several steps back.

Without granting them any respite, their opponent charged at them again. Ezakiel and Zeshen somehow managed to defend themselves against his strikes, feints and counters, while he either evaded Reenas arrows or set them ablaze. Dalmin assaulted him from behind while Reena drew her sabre and came at him head on. But even with their combined efforts they could not overcome Mordecais defence. He wielded his sword faster than their eyes could follow and successfully defended himself against their attacks from all sides.

The King of Fire tore his weapon upwards, slamming Reena back and on the ground. Then he jumped about eight feet into the air, spread his legs and simultaneously kicked Ezakiel and Zeshen in the face, before he landed and pushed Dalmin back with another kick. The giant regained his footing and thrust forcefully at Mordecai's chest. This time, however, the king made no attempt to parry or evade.

Instead he grabbed the weapon with his free left hand and stopped his hulking opponent where he stood. His sneer made Dalmin furious. He pulled the trigger and held it. "You like fire, don't ya?!"

"What do...?" Mordecai couldn't finish this sentence. The wyvern-fire connected at point-blank range, hurled him several meters through the air and slammed him against the wall. He fell to the ground and remained motionless.

Dalmin reloaded his weapon and took a deep breath. The others came to his side and looked at the fallen king.

"Is it over?" Reena asked out of breath.

"I hope so," Ezakiel answered.

"Why didn't he try to evade?" Zeshen wanted to know.

Dalmin put a hand to his chin. "Well, it's been fifteen years since he last got out of here. There were no gunlances back then. Maybe he didn't know he _should_ evade."

"So he is dead?"

"He should be. No human can survive that."

"Human..." The hunters flinched when they heard Mordecais voice. "I told you... I am no longer human." He rose again and pierced them with a furious glare. Blood poured out of a small laceration beside his right eye and ran down his face.

He noticed it a moment later and put a hand to his wet cheek. Holding his bloody hand in front of his eyes, he looked surprised for a second, but then a twisted grin appeared on his lips. "It has been a while since I last saw my own blood. Maybe I underestimated you after all." Then his smile vanished, and something in his gaze seemed to die out. Playtime was over. "I will not make that mistake again."

A sinister red light engulfed his body, bristling with energy. "Prepare to become one with eternity!" Then he charged.

Even though Reena hadn't thought it possible, he was even faster now. His fighting style had changed as well. While he was fighting nimbly and artfully before, he now relied solely on his physical superiority and pummelled them with horribly powerful blows in quick succession. Zeshen was sent flying to the throne when he smashed his blade into her guard with a two-handed strike. Dalmin was hit by a kick that _cracked_ his armour and shoved him to the ground. He didn't seem to be able to get back up again. Ezakiel and Reena were left standing, but they were hopelessly outmatched. Soon Mordecais blade slammed into the Gaelic Flames hand guard and hurled it up. While Ezakiel was able to keep a hold on it, his guard was wide open. The king used his momentum and grabbed the neck of his armour, lifting him up and throwing him towards Zeshen, luckily missing her by inches.

Now only Reena was left. She held her sword in front of her, knowing that she stood no chance against this almighty opponent. He knew that, too, and nonchalantly paced towards her, making her retreat slowly but certainly. "Have no fear, my dear child. It will all be over very soon." He charged at her without warning and slashed away at her blade, knocking it around and ultimately out of her hand. It slid to the wall, clearly out of reach. One second later a horrible pain shot through her body as he rammed his fist into her stomach. She had to resist the urge to vomit and fell limbly to the floor. Then Mordecai straddled her and abandoned his weapon. It dissipated in a small halo of light and fire. He pinned her shoulder down with his left hand and raised his right. "Now, surrender to me what is rightfully mine!"

He grabbed her face, and the world became pain. Immense agony coursed through her veins, as if every single nerve in her body was set ablaze. The worst, however, was the strange feeling she experienced. It felt as if the life was torn out of her, slowly being drained away. She could hear his voice in her mind, and a life- and genderless one resonating within it.

_**GIVE...**_ His grip on her soul tightened.

_**ME...**_ She could feel a strong pull, tearing it out.

_**YOUR... **_Without a doubt she knew that she was experiencing death. The next instance she would die.

But death never came. She could hear a shout, but it wasn't Mordecai. It was Dalmin. Through the fingers holding her face she could see something white flying at the king. His reactions and speed were far beyond anything humanly possible, but this time he wasn't fast enough. Dalmins shield brutally connected with his head and slammed him off her.

The pain ended abruptly, only a strange feeling deep inside her remained. She wobbly stood up again and saw the giant approach Mordecai at full speed. Knowing that she was in no shape to fight, she stumbled over to Ezakiel and Zeshen.

She could hear Mordecai's voice behind her. "You insolent maggot! You will pay for that!" Dalmin didn't answer, but instead roared, making her turn around to look.

He was still charging at the unmoving king, preparing to ram his fist into his face. A moment before the hunter had reached him, Mordecai raised his arm to counter the punch. However, Dalmin didn't hit him, but instead simply charged onwards, catching his opponent off guard and tackling him to the ground like a 300-pound smithing hammer. When he jumped up again, he was immediately grabbed by his arm and lifted into the air. Dalmin started to spin around, the way he had done it with a Genprey a few days ago. Mordecai's powers and speed were useless now. The giant whirled around faster and faster, and after a few seconds he used the great momentum to slam his opponent on the ground with massive force.

Mordecai let out a distinct gasp of pain, but instantly tried to get up again. However, Dalmin jumped on him and sat down on his stomach, punching his face like a madman. "Get out! Now!" he roared.

"What are you talking about!?" Ezakiel asked. He and Zeshen had just managed to get back up on their feet. They were quite bruised from the beating they had endured, but already held their weapons again. "We won't leave you!"

"Of course not", Mordecai interjected. He raised his glowing fists and slammed them into Dalmins chest. The breastplate shattered, and its wearer stumbled backwards and fell on his rear. The king stood up and summoned his weapon again, pointing it at Dalmins face. "You will all stay here and die." Then he lifted his sword high above his head, grinned at Dalmin again and cleaved it down.

"RUN!!!" That was the last word their friend said before he threw a handful of gunlance-shells at the incoming blade. It was sharp enough to cut through them with ease, and due to the fire, it ignited them. A terrible explosion shook the palace and engulfed the two combatants, followed by several more when the uncut shells were hit by the fiery blast. The noise was ear shattering, but they didn't care about that.

"DALMIN!" Zeshen screamed, while Ezakiel became grew pale. She tried to run towards the smoke, but Reena grabbed her arm.

"No! We don't even know if that worked. Dalmin gave us an opportunity to escape, but we have to get out _now_!"

Zeshen was furious. "How dare you! He is our friend! I will not leave him here!"

Before she could blow up for good, however, they heard a grunt. Bewildered, they turned around and saw Dalmin, lying on the ground motionlessly. A chill ran down her spine when she looked at him. Dalmin, the big, hot-tempered joker, the friend and comrade, was dead.

The one who had grunted, however, was Mordecai. He was down as well, but clearly alive, already trying to get up.

"Let's go!" Ezakiel said. "We can't defeat him now." Zeshen looked at him as if he was out of his mind, but Reena could see the expression in his eyes and flinched. He was on the verge of madness. Only his fear and the worry about his friends kept him sane. Zeshen seemed to notice it as well, for she simply lowered her head, then nodded.

"Follow me!" Reena ordered ran towards the gate behind the throne. Not waiting until she had reached it, she stretched out her hand and pointed at it. To her surprise, it opened. She didn't know that she could do something like this, but quite frankly, she didn't care. They ran through it and reached a small chamber. Shocked, they looked around.

It was a dead end.

The room was completely empty, except of a circle of runes carved into the floor. Ezakiel and Zeshen were gasping in bewilderment and disappointment, but something inside Reena _resonated_. She calmly walked into it, again as if her body was moving on its own. "Join me", she said blankly, with no intonation at all.

The others looked at her in wonder, but came over. She felt that she knew what this place was, but her mind was empty. For some strange reason, however, she knew what she had to do. So she imagined Dondruma, its streets and houses, and most importantly the residence of her father. Then she did something she didn't understand, nor could she describe it. But whatever it was, it caused a red, swirling storm of light to engulf them. In that very moment, the gate burst open and Mordecai charged at them, obviously unharmed.

He had almost reached them when they vanished.

___________________________________________________________________________

Finally, it is done. This chapter came from an idea I had a few months ago, and it was also what made me write this fic in the first place. Everything I wrote before was to lead up to this. Please tell me what you think about it, and how you liked the battle. It was my first non-monster-combat, so I was somewhat insecure writing it.

I think there's nothing more to say right now, so please review. The next chap might take some time, so sit tight.


	9. Remember the dead

At last, I'm back again! I'm terribly sorry for the insanely long wait you had to endure. I suffered distractions and delays in any possible fashion, like a crashing computer, an illness that tied me to bed for weeks, work, writers block... Anyway, I snapped out of it. I've started to work on the final chaps of this fic, so expect very quick updates after a few chaps.

If you have read LordVoldios "By Our Blades", you gathered a little info on the backgrounds of what's in store for you, but still, I made you wait too long. To make up for that, here's the next chap, including some important turns of events.

Disclaimer: I do not own Monster Hunter or any of LordVoldios' property.

**Chapter nine: Remember the dead**

The red light around them subsided. Ezakiel raised his weapon, ready to defend himself against the raging Mordecai, when he noticed that their surroundings had changed. They were standing in a large, ornate room with empty walls and huge, artfully crafted windows. Around them was a large, C-shaped table with various seats around it which were decorated or downright built with monster-parts. On these seats sat fully armoured hunters, among them he recognized Seid, Vindel and… his mother!?

"Reena?" uttered a gruff voice with utter shock. Ezakiel turned towards the source and saw a tall, middle aged man with shoulder-length, wild red hair and a thick red beard. He had green eyes, just like Reena, and wore a uniform that closely resembled the administrator's, except that his was mostly black with red lining. He concluded that this must be Head Administrator Temura, and the persons around him were the Royals. He also recognized the employer who hired them for Reena's initiation standing beside Temura. What this gathering was about and why they were here, however, he had no idea.

Zeshen looked just as confused and lost as he was, still holding her weapons ready, even though there was no one to fight. After a tense second they hesitantly lowered their weapons, still bewildered by the situation.

He snapped out of it immediately when Reena lost consciousness and fell to the ground. "Reena!" Temura immediately bolted to her side and knelt down. He called her name several times, but to no avail. However, she was still breathing calmly, as if she was merely asleep. Instead of trying to wake her, he lifted her limp frame, carried her to his desk and put her down in his seat. Ezakiel was worried by her sudden breakdown. He hoped that she was all right.

Then his gaze went to his mother, who was just as surprised as he was. "Mother, what are you doing here?"

She raised an eyebrow in a vain attempt to hide her bewilderment. "I could ask you the same."

Then Temura faced the two armed intruders with a mix of anger and confusion. "What's going on here?", he growled darkly.

Noticing that he still held his weapon, Ezakiel quickly sheathed it and knelt, crossing his right arm over his chest. Zeshen mirrored his actions. "M-my name is Ezakiel, and this is my companion Zeshen, sir. We were...on a hunt in the volcanic belt, together with your daughter..." He paused for a moment, realizing that the story he was about to tell was hard to believe for anyone who hadn't been there first hand. He certainly wouldn't have believed it himself, if he hadn't just barely survived it. He decided to make this short and to-the-point. "We were chasing a wounded Basarios, when suddenly...suddenly Akantor appeared out of a lake of lava and devoured it."

Eyes widened all around them at these unexpected news. Temura looked completely shocked, albeit suspicious. Ezakiel continued before the Head Administrator could question him. "We managed to escape into a cave, but discovered that it was actually some sort of passageway, leading to the ruins of a giant city, hidden inside the mountain." Again, he could tell that everyone was in doubt. The only thing that kept them from laughing at him or downright throwing them out was the fact that they appeared out of thin air with a flash of light. They obviously wanted to hear the explanation.

"We were assaulted by literally thousands of Remobras and had to hide inside the palace of that city. There we met a man who claimed to be the king of that realm." He hesitated again, knowing that the next part would have quite an impact on Temura. "He said his name was Mordecai, sir."

Temura paled. He opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't say anything. The Royals around them looked even more suspicious. Ezakiel didn't blame them. "He told us that that realm was called Nofresc, an ancient kingdom that was engaged in a war with Shrade hundreds of years ago. Shrade had almost defeated them when a mysterious being he called "The Ancestor" descended and granted their king, Astot, godlike power and the ability to create warriors to fight Shrade." He looked around once more, meeting eyes with everyone present. "All the monsters that exist today are descendants of those warriors. Nofresc is the very reason they exist."

The Head Administrator shook his head, as if to clear it, and looked at Reena. "But what happened?! How did you get here?! And why are you in such a state?"

It was only then that Ezakiel noticed, or more accurately felt, all the bruises on his face. He looked down his body and made out several dents and chinks where the crazed king's blade had connected. "After he was done talking, he tried to kill us. We stood no chance against him. He had almost defeated us, but we barely managed to disable him long enough to make our escape. We found a room with a circle of runes on the floor. When we stood inside that circle, Reena did...something, we were engulfed in red light and… well, here we are, sir."

Temura looked perfectly lost, his gaze continuously wandering between the two hunters and his unconscious daughter. He closed his eyes for a second, then bent down to pick Reena up. "I hereby delay this conference. We will meet again tomorrow morning." He looked at Ezakiel again. "You two, come with me." Without another word, he left the hall. Ezakiel and Zeshen looked at each other, then followed him.

They walked through the wood-panelled corridors of what seemed to be a large building. Ezakiel guessed that they were in Dondruma, inside the headquarters of the Guild, seeing as the Royal conference was held here. Head Administrator Temura led them at a brisk pace, not saying a word. Soon they reached what seemed to be his office. He opened the ornate wooden doors and stepped into a spacious, richly decorated room. Several trophies lined the walls, most likely beasts he slew himself. Dominating the entire collection was a single, black, twisted horn which was unlike everything they had ever seen. He couldn't place it but something about the trophy was just _wrong._ Just looking at it made a shiver crawl up Ezakiel's spine. He guessed that it had to be a horn of Fatalis itself.

Temura gently placed Reena on a couch at the wall, then turned to the hunters. "I find your story hard to believe. You must admit, this sounds quite a bit...fantastic to say the least."

Ezakiel nodded. "I know, Your Lordship, but it _is_ true."

"And what happened to Reena? Why is she unconscious?"

Ezakiel could only shrug. "Quite frankly, I don't know myself. She seemed al right when we made our escape."

Zeshen put a hand to her chin. "Maybe it has something to do with this strange power of hers."

"Power?" snapped Temura in alarm. "What kind of power?"

"Mordecai claimed it to be ancient Nofrescian magic that ran within his veins, sir", she answered. "You see, he told us that when Nofresc was waging war with Shrade, king Astot had created Fatalis to defeat his enemy. It succeeded in doing so, but went rampage after that and destroyed Nofresc as well. Astot remained inside this world as a ghost, gathering his power and waiting for an opportunity to possess another body and make it his vessel."

"His vessel?" Temura asked, clearly uncomfortable with that image.

"He eventually found one", Ezakiel stated. "It was your grandmother, who was already pregnant with Mordecai. Astot tried to possess her soul, but instead ended up in the unborn child. Since he didn't have enough strength left, he had to wait. Mordecai became a famous hunter because he learned to use the power that Astot had involuntarily bestowed upon him. When Akantor was pinned down, Mordecai set out to slay it. This time however, Astot suppressed his power and forced him to escape. He led him to Nofresc, where he slowly took over his body and influenced his mind until Mordecai was just as crazy as the king."

"So this power was passed down our bloodline", Temura muttered. "That would explain why I... But for Reena to have it as well…" He looked at his daughter, still unconscious on the couch. "I never wished for her to get into such danger. I should never have allowed her to go." He then looked back at them. "How did you meet her?"

"We were the ones who escorted her during her initiation, sir."

Temura raised an eyebrow. "You? But I hired three hunters. Where's the third?"

Zeshen bit her lower lip, eyes downcast. Ezakiel closed his eyes for a second. "Mordecai murdered him. He sacrificed himself so we could get away."

"I see," the Head Administrator said with a grim nod. "Is there really no doubt that it's him?"

"At least he claimed to be Mordecai. He also looked a lot like you, even if he somehow became young again."

"This is getting stranger by the second. Young, you say? You'll have to understand that I will ask Reena as soon as she wakes up. I can't quite believe you just yet." His gaze was fixed on his daughter. "I'll have a room prepared for you. Take time to rest until then. Ancient kingdoms or not, you obviously need it." Temura nodded briskly at Ezakiel "I understand that Administrator Erris is your mother, correct? Perhaps you might want to talk to her."

Ezakiel nodded. He knew that Temura needed some time for himself now. He bowed and turned to leave, but looked over his shoulder once more. "I have but one question, Your Lordship, if I may. If you choose to believe us, what will you do?"

"I'll think about it if it happens. Now, please, leave."

They bowed once more and left.

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_Why is this happening? Are they really telling the truth? If so, then what could I do?_ The thoughts raced through Temuras head as he paced restlessly through his office, looking worriedly at Reena every time he turned towards her. She wasn't badly injured, hardly even touched, but she still stayed unconscious. He knew that their power put quite a lot of pressure on their bodies. Whatever it was she had done to escape from Nofresc, it had asked too much of her.

Despite his earlier words, he had little doubt that these hunters spoke the truth. He had spent long years of his life wielding this "magic", so he immediately recognized it in the conference room. It was his secret and he had hoped to carry it to his grave. But to know that Reena had it too...He just needed some time to straighten his thoughts. _If I could only help her!_

Then an idea came to his mind. He wondered why he hadn't thought if it sooner. Kneeling down beside Reena, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and closed his eyes. It had been fifteen years since he last used this power, and he had never used it in this fashion, but it was worth a try.

He mentally called out to her, pouring some of his energy into her. It was completely different from enhancing his own body, and apparently he lost his understanding of time, for when he stopped his efforts, the sun was already setting.

Then Reena's eyes slowly fluttered open.

xxxxxxxxxx

Erris approached them soon after they left the office. She was wearing her revealing Kirin-armour, as if she was on a hunt. "Ezakiel, Zeshen, there you are." She glanced around. "Maybe this isn't the best place to talk. Let's go to my room."

They followed her to a large suite at the far end of the same corridor and entered. As soon as they closed the door she turned on them, her composure obviously crumbling. "Whatever have you gotten yourself into?! You appear out of thin air, look like you were eaten and then spit out again and tell that unbelievable story!" It was only then that she seemed to realize something. "Wait. Where is Dalmin?" she asked apprehensively. One look into their eyes, however, made her understand. "No… He couldn't be…"

Ezakiel pressed his eyes shut, trying to keep his tears in check, but he failed miserably. "He sacrificed his life to protect us, mother. Had it not been for him…" His voice broke, no longer able to continue. Beside him, Zeshen started to cry, silently at first, but soon she openly wept, wet racking sobs. Erris stepped closer and pulled their heads to her shoulders, letting them cry while shedding tears over her own aching heart.

xxxxxxxxxx

She could only hazily see her surroundings, but at least she was awake. A nasty headache throbbed between her temples, making her feel nauseous. The first thing she saw when she finally managed to truly awaken was her father's relieved face.

"Reena! Finally, you're awake!"

She groaned wearily. "Dad? What're you doing here?" Suddenly she remembered everything. She instantly bolted into a sitting position, eyes wide open. "Watch out, he'll get you too!" This caused her headache to seemingly explode, as if a fire storm was raging in her brain. She powerlessly sank back groaning, supported by his arm. Only then did she realize that she was no longer in Nofresc, but instead in her father's office.

"Reena, calm down, everything's alright", he said softly.

"No, nothing's alright! Not at all! He's back! He…" She couldn't speak further, memories of Mordecai's hold on her soul and Dalmin's death tortured her weary mind.

"So they really did speak the truth", he murmured, lost in thought.

"They?"

"Your companions. They told me that… my father is alive and controls all the monsters. They told a wild story about Akantor and some ancient realm. Is that really true?"

She nodded. "Every word of it. Mordecai told us himself. I recognized him, if only barely."

Her father suddenly looked very anxious. "What has become of him? What is he like now?"

She trembled at the thought of the terrible visage. "He's no longer human. Apparently he became immortal or something close. He's completely insane, ranting about burning this world to ashes and punishing the mortals and whatnot." She closed her eyes and drew in a shuddering breath. "He was far too powerful to be mortal. We could hardly do anything against him. The only reason why we're still alive is because...Dalmin sacrificed himself to buy us some time."

Temura sighed and lowered his gaze. She could see fear in his eyes. "Dad, we have to do something. His cover is blown. He knows that he's running out of time. Who knows what he's plotting right now?"

"Gathering monsters and boosting their population", he said gravely.

"What?"

"We just held the annual Royal Conference. All around the world are more monsters than usual. It's a population crisis like none we faced before. Two Lao Shan Lungs are approaching the fort, hundreds of monsters are marching towards the volcanic belt and the village of Imant has been annihilated, along with Ashvelt "Swordmage" Andere. Ashvelt "Sandstorm" Vindel thinks it was the doing of Fatalis, but I can't possibly believe that."

"Fatalis, too? So he's planning to bring the world down to its knees with one critical strike."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Mordecai told us that the former king of Nofresc, Astot, created Fatalis to destroy Shrade. But he was not strong enough to control it when it went berserk afterwards. Nofresc was ultimately destroyed because Astot underestimated it. Mordecai isn't nearly as strong as Astot was, so once he summons Fatalis, he won't be able to call it back. "

"You mean it'll keep on rampaging?"

"Yes, no doubt about it. That's why we have to hurry and do something about this _right now_! Mordecai has to be stopped."

When she noticed that her father had closed his eyes and clenched his teeth, she knew exactly what was going on. "You can't, can you?"

"Reena, you don't understand…"

"Oh, I do. You don't want to fight your own father. But he no longer is the man we lost so long ago. He's a monster! No, something even worse! We have to take care of him before he becomes truly unstoppable." She stood up straight, albeit a bit wobbly. "He won't stop until he has wiped us all out, and he'll start right here! We must…"

"Reena, stop!" he interrupted sharply, silencing her immediately. "I let you go to Kokoto against my better judgement. Now look what happened! You encounter a Rathalos during your training, almost get killed during your initiation and wind up in such a state after your first real hunt."

"That wasn't my first", she retorted defiantly. "My first was against a very deadly white Monoblos, and I _rode_ it! Besides, the events in the volcanic belt were clearly out of the ordinary. We stumbled upon Akantor and thousands of Remobras and even an evil, inhumanly powerful king and still…survived." The last word left her lips quietly, since one of them had paid the ultimate price.

"You had three very experienced hunters with you. Don't forget that you're just a rookie. This is too much for you." He glared sternly at her. "I want you to stay here."

She couldn't believe her ears. "What!? I came this far! Sure, the others helped me a lot, but I still played my part!"

"But a hunter's life is no game! You could wind up dead! This is just out of your league!" he concluded walking away with determination, considering the discussion to be over.

However, she had heard enough. "But not out of yours?" she whispered.

He turned around, surprised. "What was that?"

"You heard me! You say this is too much for me, but then it's also too much for you! At least I'm hunting in the first place!"

He stepped very close to her, glaring angrily. "How dare you speak to me in such a mannerr! I'm your father! You will do as I say!"

"You want me to let the world burn?!" she screamed, startling him. "Cut the act, dad! You lost your will to fight fifteen years ago! You are my father… but you're also a coward, hiding in here because you're too afraid to meet the same fate Mordecai...the real Mordecai met!"

He was totally bewildered by her open disrespect, but before he could say something, she continued. "You're lost in your grief, unable to get over it." She sighed aggravated. "Someone who knows your pain once told me something: 'Remember the dead, but fight for the living.' Do you understand what that means? You may mourn your father, for even though he is 'alive', the man who left Dondruma fifteen years ago is dead. But you still have to move on. You must stay strong and continue where he left off. Until you find in you what it takes to do that, you have absolutely no right to stop me." Not waiting for a reply, she marched out of the office, slamming the door shut behind her.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ezakiel stood on the balcony of their suite, looking at the moon and trying to grasp a clear thought. He still couldn't believe that Dalmin, one of his best and closest friends, was dead. Memories of their childhood spent together flashed through his mind, smothering him. They couldn't even recover his body to grant him a proper burial. He would simply rot in the palace of a maniacal king.

He clenched the rail in front of him with brute force, as if to shatter it. He pressed with such force that he expected the marble to break, but of course nothing happened. For some illogical reason this angered him even more, making him try harder. He felt the urge to destroy something, to lash out just to let off some steam. He imagined the girder to be Mordecai's neck, his grip strangling the wretched fiend, breaking his bones and…

A small, dark hand was placed on his left arm, instantly snapping him out of his rage. It was only then that he realized that he bore his teeth like a rabid animal, and quickly regained his composure. His anger faded to nothingness, utter depression taking its place. He looked at Zeshen, who still held on to his arm, seeing fear and concern in her eyes, but also sadness of such an intensity that he had to avert his gaze.

He looked to his right, where his mother was standing, her crossed arms leaning on the girder, her eyes downcast and clouded. He could only guess at what might be going on in her head. Sixteen years ago she had lost her husband and her two best friends while helplessly sitting around. She knew the pain he was going through, if not more so. Now she had lost a boy she had considered a son, and also suffered from seeing her true son's grief.

They hadn't said a word since they came here. At least for him it felt like a large lump was stuck in his throat, preventing him from uttering any words. Still, there was something he had to ask. He faced his mother, clearing his throat. She seemed a bit startled, but looked at him. He sighed wearily. "Will this pain ever subside?"

She lowered her head and closed her eyes for a moment before looking at him again. "You will learn to live with it eventually...but it will never really be gone. The only thing you can do is to cherish your memories of him, remember him. That way, he'll stay alive in a way."

She then watched Zeshen for a while, who was numbly staring into the darkness as if it had sucked her in. Erris walked over to her, gently putting an arm around her shoulders. "No matter how dark the night, morning will always come." She sighed. "You must stay strong, even in this hard time. Dalmin entrusted his life to you. He wanted you to live so you can do what he could not. Don't drown in your sorrow, for this is no longer only your life." She paused for a moment. "Remember the dead, but fight for the living."

Her words resonated in Ezakiels heart. His pain did not seize, but he was willing to bear it. _Not only our life. Then I shall honour his name just like my fathers._

Zeshens eyes were tightly shut, her whole body rocking with silent sobs. Tears ran down her cheeks again, despite her obvious attempts to keep them inside. Erris turned her around, embracing her. "You loved him, didn't you?" Zeshen was caught off guard, but soon broke down for good, now openly sobbing – and nodded.

Her response startled him, if only a little. He had jokingly assumed something like that, judging by the way they constantly argued without being able to really stay away from or even angry at each other. He mentally cursed. To have something as precious as love ripped away from her so cruelly. His sympathy for her was only exceeded by his hatred towards Mordecai.

His gaze wandered to a direction he had avoided to look at before. The faint, but perpetual red glow of the volcanic belt illuminated a section of the horizon. Somewhere there was his mortal enemy. He didn't even notice how easily this title came to his mind. His gaze hardened, drilling into the red haze with a fire that surprised even him himself. "Mordecai will pay for this", he growled with a voice so thick with hatred that his mother and even Zeshen stopped immediately and looked at him. "I will _make_ him pay for this!"

Erris didn't look too happy at her son's words. "Revenge won't bring him back. You know that. It won't ease your pain, nor will it make the world a better place."

"Killing this fiend _will_ make the world a better place", he retorted. "I know it won't help me, but he has to die either way, and I swear I will see to that."

Zeshen stood beside him, her eyes still teary, but also burning with fury. "Revenge it is, then."

Erris sighed, leaning back on the girder. She didn't say anything for about a minute, but then her shoulders slumped. "I don't condone the concept of revenge. It never helped anyone. But still, if you need it to focus on the way ahead, then so be it."

"Will you come with us?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No...I'll return to Pokke to defend it from the impending storm. If what you say is true, it'll need all the help it can get. You must do what you can here." Then she looked him directly in the eyes, her gaze pleading. "Sixteen years ago, the situation was much the same. I was sitting in Pokke while someone I loved went to fight a new and terrible threat. Please, don't suffer the same fate as your father. You...You must promise me that you will come back to me."

He nodded with determination. "I promise, mother."

She smiled sadly, then turned to leave, still somewhat insecure. When she had reached the door in, she turned around again. "You should get some rest, too. Who knows what will happen tomorrow."

They looked at the moon in silence for a few more minutes, then went inside as well.

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Reena stood in front of the plain wooden door, her hand lifted to knock. She hesitated to actually finish that motion, seeing as it was late at night. He was most likely already asleep. It would be best to go to bed and try to get some rest. Maybe sleep would clear that mess that was her mind.

However, when she was about to depart, the door opened, revealing a perfectly awake Liam. He looked as if he hadn't been to bed in the first place, his uniform was still immaculately in place, and his hair flawless. He also didn't seem the least bit surprised by her late night visit. "I knew you would come. You got into a fight again, right?"

"Yeah", she admitted. "It was… rather serious."

He smiled sympathetically, then stepped back and waved her in. She entered his room and looked around. It was rather plainly furnished, with a medium sized bed and a seat in front of the small chimney. Large bookshelves adorned the walls, containing more books than she could ever care to read. She sat down at a small table with two chairs, placed right in front of the window.

From there she could see the training court just beneath her. During daytime several hunters or Guild Guards spent their time there, practicing techniques, sparring or simply passing the time. She had spent a lot of time at this table, talking to him about the arguments she had with her father, her dreams of becoming a hunter or just the latest gossip.

Liam sat down in front of her. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

She nodded and rested her elbows on the tabletop, gripping her downcast head. "I told him what happened in Nofresc, about Mordecai and what he became. I wanted him to understand that we're running out of time! Mordecai knows that we escaped and informed the Guild. He will make haste to launch his attack. But when I told dad that we have to do something, he was afraid."

"He still isn't over it."

"He's been like this for fifteen years! It's high time he pulls himself together."

Liam sighed. "But he can't. It's a fear that grows stronger with time instead of diminishing. When you started to bug him about becoming a hunter, he feared for you as well. He still does."

"I know. He told me. He wanted me to stay out of this, because of this being 'out of my league.'"

"What did you do?"

She fidgeted for a moment. "I told him what I think, that he is a coward who can't face his future. That I at least hunt at all."

Liam blinked with surprise. "You told him _that_? I assume he didn't take it well, right?"

Reena frowned. "He got really angry and tried to shut me up, but I told him that he doesn't have the right to stop me from doing what I can. Not until he is able to carry on himself."

"How did he react?"

"I don't know. I left right after that."

He scratched his chin for a while. "You told him openly what no one spoke out for fifteen years. I'm sure it had quite the impact on him."

"Yeah, but that's not worth much when he can't step forward."

"We will have to wait and see what happens."

"But we're running out of time! Dad told me that monsters are gathering everywhere. Don't you understand? It's not a simple population boom. Mordecai's assembling an army! An army to wipe us all out!"

"I suppose so. Look, I believe you. You wouldn't make up such a story, and I also believe that we're in for a rough ride, but still, calm down. Nothing good comes from acting hastily. Rushing into battle without proper preparation is even more dangerous than waiting too long."

"I know that, but while we're waiting and preparing, he builds an army we couldn't hope to overcome. We may be able to gather a formidable force, but he already has one, surrounding us _everywhere_! Plus, he has Akantor _and_ Fatalis at his disposal. They alone could crush us easily. The only way to get out of this alive is to attack before he's ready and kill Mordecai. When he's dead, the monsters will become simple beasts again. Then things can go back to normal."

"Easier said than done. He's gathering the monsters in the volcanic belt. We would need an army just to get through, not to speak of infiltrating Nofresc. How are we supposed to assemble so many hunters? We could ask the king, but his soldiers have little to no experience with fighting monsters." He looked out of the window, pondering.

Reena sighed. Slowly, but surely, despair built up inside her. She looked at her folded hands. "There has to be something we can do. Anything. This can't possibly be the end, right?"

She waited for a few seconds, but didn't get an answer. When she looked up, she saw an expression on Liam's face she had never seen before: Utter astonishment. He didn't even seem to have heard her question. Wondering what might cause such a reaction, she followed his gaze – and froze.

Her father came marching to the middle of the training court, clad in a breathtaking, silver Kushala Daora-armour. His determined posture combined with the stunning set of armor gave Reena a just glimpse of why he held the title 'Champion'. He carried a large, two handed axe, which he had named 'Punisher', the weapon with which he had repelled the legendary Fatalis.

Reena couldn't believe what she saw. He hadn't worn this for fifteen years! When he reached the centre of the courtyard, he stopped and laid the flat side of the axe's head on his forehead. For about a minute nothing happened, but then all of a sudden, a dull red light started to pour out of his body with rising intensity into his axe, making it shine brightly. Soon his body followed suit. Something inside Reena felt a hint of the magic Mordecai had used, and even though it wasn't as strong as the power of her enemy, it was an impressive sight to behold.

Then the Head Administrator roared, swinging the weapon high over his head before cleaving it down into the ground with all his might. The stones shattered, and small fragments of rubble flew around. Still shouting, he tore his axe out again and made a horizontal slash that would have decapitated a wyvern in one go. He then started swinging his weapon around, striking in rapid succession, every attack coming faster than the previous one. Soon he was no more than a crimson blur moving with the speed and precision of a lightning.

"Quite an impact…" Liam mused absent mindedly, a faint smile on his face.

Reena stood up. "Gotta go! Good night!" Then she stormed out of the room, leaving Liam behind.

She rushed down the corridors and stairs until she reached the entrance of the courtyard. Her father was still hacking away, decapitating imaginary enemies or smashing them down with the hilt of his axe. From what she could see, he seemed to almost be...enjoying himself. He had started to rush across the courtyard, fighting with indomitable zeal.

After what seemed like about an hour he eventually stopped, the red glow subsiding from his weapon and body, strapped his axe on his back and made for the exit. When he entered the dark corridor, he noticed her. She smiled brightly at him. "You did it, dad."

He didn't know what to say. A single tear ran down his face. "You were right. You were right all along." Her smile widened. Unable to find another fitting word, she stepped closer and embraced him in a tight hug, which he returned lovingly.

Soon they separated. He held her at arms length and looked into her eyes. She could see determination in his green orbs. His face became grim. "We shall fight."

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The Royal conference was continued right after dawn. Everyone previously present was already there, except Temura himself. Ezakiel sat in a simple wooden chair placed at the large table this morning, Zeshen and Reena by his sides. They had been invited by Head Administrator Temura to attend the conference due to their first-hand-experience. His mother was also there, sitting in the seat she had occupied the other day.

Reena fidgeted around, as if eagerly anticipating something. She seemed rather happy for some reason. Ezakiel wondered why, seeing as he had no opportunity to talk to her since they left Nofresc.

The Royals eyed them suspiciously. He could tell that they were somewhat on edge because of the previous events. Temura had left quite suddenly without so much as an explanation.

Ezakiel looked into the two faces he knew. Seid nodded warmly at him. The silver-clad Royal seemed rather tense and looked as if he hadn't slept a wink, but still kept his friendliness. Vindel, on the other hand, glared at them with unconcealed disapproval. They were no Royals, so he most likely didn't like the thought of them 'in his territory'. The infamous Royal with the perpetual frown hardly blinked, making them feel quite uncomfortable.

Suddenly the door opened, and the herald stepped in. He stood at attention. "The esteemed Head Administrator and Champion of the Guild, Ashvelt "Windaxe" Temura!"

Everyone looked to the door. Temura stepped into the hall, clad in a Kushala Daora-armour. Ezakiel was quite impressed, to say the least. The armour was very similar to his own, but while his was brown, the Head Administrators was bright silver. A Kushala Daora had a skin of steel, but even though it had all the benefits of such a shell, it had to put up with the disadvantages, too. Not only did it have to shed it after some time, since the steel didn't grow, it also rusted over time, due to the harsh conditions it was continuously exposed to. Ezakiels armour was made of such a slightly rusty skin. Temura's, however, must have been crafted from a Kushala Daora that had just shed its shell. In that state the stainless steel provided an almost impenetrable protection. It took quite a lot of strength and skill to defeat such a foe.

The expressions on the Royals faces when he marched into the room clad in his Kushala Daora armour were absolutely priceless. The Head Administrator ignored the gasps of shock and made his way around the crescent table until he stood behind his desk. He took the time to meet the eyes of everyone present before speaking firmly.

"I'm glad to see that you have assembled on such short notice. Surely the events of yesterday must have surprised and confused you. I myself was just as startled at our guests sudden...appearance. Let me assure you now, without a doubt: Every word that they have spoken is honest and true. My father has somehow survived and now he controls all the monsters in an attempt to rid this world of mankind."

One of the Royals cleared his throat and stood, crossing his arms over his chest. He was a rather skinny, young man wearing Kirin-armour. "You cant possibly be serious. Every word is honest? Then how about that magic stuff? How in all the world could that be true?"

Temura merely smiled and raised his arm. To the utter astonishment of the Royals, it burst into glowing red flames. "Yet it is true", he said as the flames faded into nothingness. "I inherited the same power, due to him being my father. He gained this power from the mad king Astot while he was still unborn."

After this little demonstration, everyone seemed convinced, if not a bit apprehensive. Temura stood up from his seat and looked everyone in the eyes. "My fellow Royals, Administrator Erris, Reena and your friends…" His voice was bristling with determination and authority. "By the powers vested in me by the statutes of the Guild, I hereby declare war on Nofresc! I cannot and will not let our world be set ablaze by a madman and his army of beasts!" His gaze wandered through the room. "Who is with me?"

The Royals still looked sceptical and fidgeted uncomfortably. Ezakiel supposed that things just developed a bit too fast for their taste. Everyone looked at each other, as if they could find an answer on the others faces.

Everyone except one. Vindel rose from his chair, standing erect. "I am."

His comrades looked very surprised. Temura himself couldn't conceal his startled expression. "Despite your previous words? While I thank you for your support I can't help but ask; what caused this change of heart?"

"There are three things that I detest, your Lordship. I hate boastful fools," he stopped to glare at the young man wearing Kirin Armor, who shrank into his seat. "I loathe idiots," he turned his gaze to a large hunter wearing the shell of a Black Gravios and a smaller hunter wearing Blangonga pelt armor. Both of them looked down at the table. "and I despise hunters who waste their talents. At first you were in this category, sir, but your willingness to fight has bought you my support. And as unbelievable as your story may sound, it does not obscure the fact that we are facing a very real threat.. Thus I will fight."

Before Temura could say something, Seid bolted to his feet. "But not alone. Somebody's gotta thin those monster ranks a bit, you know? Count the Dragon Fang in!"

"I am at your service as well, sir." stated Garland, rising and saluting. "As are the Guild Guards."

As if their resolve had broken a barrier, the other Royals stood up, assuring their assistance.

Temura allowed himself a smile. "Then it's settled. We'll form groups to spread over Minegarde." He thought for a moment.

"Celia and Bagelza, both of you go to Kokoto. We have one or two veterans overseeing the newer hunters, so ground attacks shouldn't be a problem. However, the surrounding area is inhabited by fierce flying monsters. They should be an easy target for the two Royals most practiced in ranged attacks." Two female Royals, a stunningly beautiful blonde hunter in noble-looking blue armour and a small, lithe hunter in black leather, nodded their approval.

"Iilo, I want you to go to Pokke." This caused the Royal in the Kirin armour to snort and look away but the smile on his slim face betrayed him. "Administrator Erris, I take it you'll return there too?"

"Yes. My village needs me. Now more than ever."

"Good. You two will go together. Rulk, Aroza, go to Jumbo and provide assistance. I trust you both will cooperate and do what you can for them." The giant in a black Gravios armour and a man in Blangonga-fur gear saluted almost perfectly in unison. "Garland, Vindel and Seid, you will accompany me on my way to Nofresc."

Seid and a stout man in bright red Teostra-armour and a flaring red Mohawk signalled their approval, but Vindel shook his head. "If I may request, Your Lordship, I would prefer to go back to Eden. My people will need the guidance of their Elder. If I may be allowed, I will send Merquel in my stead."

Temura nodded. "Fine by me. Garland, Seid, please use the time we need to prepare both your groups and any volunteers. I will speak to the king to ask for assistance." He looked at each of the assembled hunters.

"Let us do as we must, so that we may all see a brighter tomorrow. For Minegarde! For ourselves! For the Guild! We go to war!"

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This is it for now. LordVoldios and I will work on the next chaps together, since they will be just about completely co-written, so expect a lot of Royal badassness. I'll also try to find the time to work on another oneshot, so if you like, you can leave a review to suggest what it should be about. Seeing as it's a oneshot, everything's possible there.

You probably noticed, I'm trying to get you to review *wink***, **so please do. The next chap will be up considerably sooner than this one. That I promise. Until then!


	10. Alliances

Greetings, dear readers! I am terribly sorry for making you wait for so long!

At long last, I am able to update another chapter. I had an awful lot of stress ever since this year started, for I joined our airforce, but the most important reason for this terrible delay was communication. For whatever reason, LordVoldios hasn't contacted me in ages, let alone worked with me, aside from a tiny bit several months ago. I tried to get through to him, but to no avail.

Now I decided to update without him. The plans for this chapter and those to come are set, so I can do it without him, but I still don't know what to do with him. It **might** turn out that I will take over the last parts of "By Our Blades", in case Voldios doesn't want to continue, but I will most likely know before uploading the next chapter.

Anyway, this has gone on long enough. Again, I apologize for waiting so long. Here goes the next chap!

**Chapter ten: Alliances**

After the conference had ended, everyone left the hall. Ezakiel looked into the faces of the Royals, seeing grim determination in each of them. Reena almost glowed with pride as she looked at her father.

"He was quite impressive", he said.

Reena's grin widened. "Yeah, at last, he's back to his former self."

"Was that your doing?" Zeshen asked.

She nodded. "We got into an argument and I told him what I thought about him. That must have made him wonder. Next thing I knew, he was out in the courtyard in full armour, working out."

"So that's how you did it", a voice said to the side. They turned around and saw Seid, who looked a lot fresher than he did before. He still seemed weary, but at the same time very energetic. "Man, was I surprised. That's the first time I see him like this."

"Hey, Seid", Ezakiel greeted. The two of them grabbed each other by their wrists for a second. "The world's small, huh?"

"Sure is. Anyway, I just wanted to invite you to eat, over at the Dragon Fang's headquarters. How about it? I could introduce you to my folks, and you got a nice meal for diner."

Ezakiel turned around to his comrades. "What do you think?"

Reena smiled and approved, but Zeshen seemed in thought. "Will Dante be there as well?"

Seid nodded, his smile waning a little. "Yeah, he's my second, so he'll be there. You already know each other, right?"

"Zeshen and I, that's right", Ezakiel answered. "We were neighbours of sorts. He was a little older than us, already hunting with his father. The whole village was proud of him. They said he had even more potential than my father had when he had started to hunt. But after Akantor had killed his father and he left the village, we never saw him again, until we met you in Eden."

"Well, the world really is small, then." Seid mused about that for a second, then cast the thought aside. "Are you still coming, or is there a problem?"

"It's all right", Zeshen said. "He just brings back memories."

Ezakiel noticed Seid's questioning expression. "After he left, my father and his friends chased after Akantor. They were the best hunters in the village, but they failed and were wiped out."

"So he reminds you of all that. Must be tough", Seid said.

"Yeah, but it's no problem. The past is the past", Ezakiel answered. "We got a future ahead, and it's not waiting for us."

"That's right", an all too familiar voice said behind Seid. "Remember the dead, but fight for the living." One part of Ezakiel inwardly sighed, while the other paid interested attention as his mother joined them.

Seid's grin returned to his face. "Hello, Administrator Erris! Did I hear right during the conference? You're Ezakiels mother?"

"Yes, I am, and proud of it." They shook hands. "I could hug him all day, but he gets so tense if I do."

"Hey!" Ezakiel protested. The heat rushing to his face didn't make it any better, nor did his friends giggling behind him.

Seid gave him a gleeful smile. "Maybe he's just shy." He then looked at her right arm. "Say, where did you get this scar? I've never seen it before. It looks quite interesting."

"Oh, I just slit a Tigrex's throat from within with my carving knife", she answered with an innocent smile, as if that was the most common thing in the world.

Seid seemed at a loss for words for a moment. "Well, I'll be", he finally said. "Wait, I got an idea. Why don't you join us, too? There's enough room for everyone, and the more we are, the merrier it gets."

Erris looked disappointed. "I'd really love to, but I have to leave right away. Pokke needs me as soon as possible, and I don't want to make Ashvelt Iilo wait."

"Ah, don't worry about him. He's like a spoiled child, so he'd find something to grumble about even if you arrive before him."

"That may be so, but still, I'm worried about my village, so I have to pass on your offer." She smiled with a hint of seduction. "Maybe some other time." With that said she went past them towards the exit. Just before she reached it, she turned around again with a troubled look on her face. "Please, come back safely." Then she left.

"Well, that was interesting", Seid mused after a few seconds of silence.

Reena grinned. "So, what do you think of her? I mean, as a woman." She couldn't keep from shooting Ezakiel a gleeful glance. He mentally growled. _Why does she have to dig into this?_

Seid put a hand to his chin. "Well, beauty aside, she's strong, fiery, loyal, and dedicated..." he tapped his fist into his palm "She's an ideal woman for any man!"

"This really doesn't matter right now", Ezakiel intervened before thing could get out of hand. "Hadn't we best be off? I'm sure it's quite a walk to your place anyway."

Seid chuckled. "She really was right about you." He ignored Ezakiels angry glare. "Okay, then let's go. I'm really hungry myself,so let's hurry."

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Temura bowed at the waist as two figures approached him. One of them was a beautiful woman in her mid-fourties wearing a noble, closed-up dress in green and black. The other one was a man in the same age, wearing an open, red frock-coat with black lining. Both of them wore their long, blond hair in a ponytail, adding to their already striking likeness. Of course, this similarity was only natural, since they were twins: Princess Etrea and Prince Volpes, the ones closest in line of succession. There were rumours about them not being on good terms with each other, for it was not yet decided who of them would take after their father.

"I greet you, Mylady Etrea, Mylord Volpes", Temura said respectfully.

"And we welcome you, Head Administrator Temura", Volpes replied. "I must admit, I was rather surprised when you asked for an audience with the king on such short notice."

"I am terribly sorry about that, but the matter in which regard I have to speak to the king is very urgent."

"Please, it is no problem at all. Our father agreed to see you as soon word from you reached him. He eagerly awaits you, so, if you would." He made an inviting gesture towards the door to the corridor that led to the throne-room.

Temura was about to step forward when Etrea raised a hand. "I must ask you to discard any weapons you carry, lest our escort will get the wrong impression."

He was confused for a second. He hadn't equipped any weapons for this occasion. Then he remembered that there was the long dagger he used as a carving knife strapped to his left upper thigh. He hadn't worn his armour in fifteen years, so he had completely forgotten that the weapon was still attached to it.

"Please pardon me", he said quickly, took off the sheath and handed it to her. She gave it to a guard beside the door, then opened it and led them into the corridor. Her brother fell in step beside her, while four heavily armed soldiers of the royal guard formed an escort around them. It was custom to have a member of the royal family welcome important visitors such as himself.

Princess Etrea gave him a serious look. "The king has not been well lately. His illness takes its toll on him, so please refrain from bringing it up."

Then they entered the throne-room. Ornate carpets and battle-worn weapons decorated the artfully tiled walls. A red carpet was placed from the door to the golden throne that stood on a small pedestal in front of a wide window from which one could overlook a large portion of the town, including the main gate.

Sitting on this Throne was King Ghadan Kerrh Minegarde IV, ruler of Minegarde. He was tall man in his eighties, wearing impressive robes in red and gold. His face was deeply wrinkled, his skin pale and his eyes weary. He looked even worse than Temura had thought, but when his gaze fell on the Head Administrator, he smiled and rose to greet him.

Temura went down on one knee, bowing his head. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I am deeply honoured to be in your presence."

"And I in yours", the ruler replied honestly. His voice was raspy, but firm, expressing genuine delight. He nodded to his children, who then left the room, and approached Temura as he was standing straight again. "I see you finally found back to your former self. After your father died, I was afraid you might have lost your will to live. It's good to see I was wrong." He gave him an approving look. "You look good, Temura."

Temura smiled. "I wish I could return the compliment, but to be honest, you look terrible."

The king burst into loud laughter. "How I've been missing honest words. Everyone knows I'm ill, yet they hide what they think and try to humour me with empty phrases. I'm fully aware of how I look."

Temura joined the laughter, but still was concerned about him. Ghadan had been a hunter back when he still was a prince, one of the closer friends of Mordecai. He had tutored and soon befriended the far younger Temura and every now and then they had hunted together. At first Temura hadn't known that Ghadan was a prince, so he was pretty surprised when he found out. When the former king passed away, he inherited the throne and abandoned the hunting, but the two of them had stayed friends over the years.

"Is it really this bad?" he asked worriedly.

"It's life. People age, fall ill and die. Kings are no exception. I don't know whether this illness will claim me, but when the time comes, it comes. I try my best to stay as healthy as I still can, of course." He sat back on his throne. "But enough of this. You didn't come here to hear me ramble, so let's get down to business. What can I do for you?"

Temuras face became grim. "I came to ask you for your support."

A worried expression appeared on the king's face. "What kind of support are you talking about?"

"Military support", he answered.

Ghadans eyebrows rose. "This kingdom is not at war with anyone, and if I recall correctly, neither is the Guild. What's wrong?"

"Only yesterday did I learn that Minegarde is on the verge of a great crisis. The population of the monsters has been increasing dramatically as of late, and just when I thought it couldn't get worse, my daughter and her comrades appeared out of thin air right in the middle of the annual conference of the Royals and reported that the monsters are being controlled by a man who plans to rid this world of us."

Ghadan looked clearly sceptic. "You must admit that this tale sounds quite fantastic."

This time it was Temuras turn to laugh. "I said the same thing when I first heard it, but I can assure you that it's true."

The king was thinking for a while. "You're not one to make up wild stories and tell them your king, and the fact that you're obviously planning to go into battle speaks for itself. Very well, I've decided to believe you. Who is this man controlling the monsters? A vengeful descendant of Empress Hime who tries to achieve what she failed to?"

Temura remembered what he had heard of her. More than a hundred years ago Minegarde was still an empire, ruled by the tyrannical Empress Hime. She was a wicked woman with ambitions of world domination. She even managed to capture and tame monsters to use them in battle. The kingdoms of Gessarn and Shathor were hard-pressed to keep her from breaching their borders.

It was at that time that a man named Kerrh appeared out of nowhere and joined the Minegardian resistance force. He quickly profiled himself with sabotage and espionage and soon became one of the leaders, until he eventually commanded the entire force. In the end, he managed to infiltrate this very castle, confronted Hime in this very room, and killed her with his own hands. The liberated people of Minegarde looked up to him, and thus made him king, so that he could end the war only Hime had truly wanted. His family had held the Minegardian throne ever since, with his great grandson as current ruler.

"No, it's not. In fact, this part of the story was the one hardest to believe for me", Temura said. "For it's none other than my father."

"What?" Ghadan asked in shock, followed by some coughing. "Surely you must be joking! Your father died fifteen years ago!"

Temura shook his head. "He disappeared. No one found his corpse. The same goes for the remains of Akantor, for that matter."

"You mean it also still exists?" Temura nodded. Ghadan leaned back in his throne, clearly exasperated. "How? How in the world could something like that happen? How could he survive and hide for fifteen years?"

Temura sighed. "Apparently, it's the doing of a ghost. The ghost of a king, ruler of an ancient kingdom named Nofresc, which existed at the same time Shrade did. In fact, the two realms were at war, with Nofresc slowly, but surely being overrun. When all seemed lost for it, a being of unknown nature calling itself "The Ancestor" appeared before Nofresc's king, Astot, and granted him the power to not only fight with superhuman strength, speed and ability, but also to create soldiers no human could hope to face: Monsters."

Ghadan looked severely worried now. "Are you serious? This king is the creator of the monsters? But even if you're right, what does Mordecai have to do with this?"

"I'll come to that in a minute. You see, with the monsters on his side, Astot was able to strike Schrade back and eventually even invade it. Akantor was created to guard the capitol, while Fatalis was meant to deal the finishing blow. As we all know, it succeeded. However, during the carnage it went berserk and destroyed everything in its sight. When Shrade was wiped out, it attacked Nofresc, simply because it wanted to. Astot was unable to control its rage and was killed. His spirit, however, somehow managed to stay in this world, waiting to possess another body as a vessel."

Ghadan nodded in understanding. "So he found Mordecai?"

"In fact, he found his pregnant mother. He tried to possess her, but ended up in Mordecai, who grew up to become an exceptional hunter, because he learned to control the power Astot accidentally gave him. Sixteen years ago, Akantor was unleashed, and when Mordecai went to face it a year later, Astot supressed his powers, leaving my father with no hope of defeating it. Astot then influenced his mind and made him flee to the ruins of Nofresc, where he took over his body for good and brainwashed him. Now, Mordecai is just as insane, claiming to be the king of Nofresc and trying to carry out his vengeance by wiping out the descendants of Shrade, whom he holds responsible for Nofresc's destruction."

"I see", Ghadan said, lost in thought. "I always knew that there was something special about your father, something that made him stronger than anyone else. Did you know that he used to fight bare-handed? His sword was only meant for exceptionally tough monsters, such as Gravios."

Temura was quite surprised. "Really? I had no idea."

"I accompanied him on many a hunt, but honestly, my presence made little difference. His strength and speed surpassed everything humanly possible, degrading me to a visitor most of the time. He slew fierce monsters with playful ease, sometimes with a single blow. When I asked him how he did that, he had to admit that he had no idea himself. Now I finally understand the reason."

"Now he has gained an even greater power, the power to command monsters. He's currently building an army within the volcanic belt, and we have reasons to assume that other areas, such as the larger villages or Fort Eden are also in danger, while we confirmed that two Lao Shan Lungs are headed towards Fort Lao Shan. The Guild is already gathering as many hunters as possible, but we need more troops. That is why I ask of your support. The fate of mankind is at risk."

The king sat up more erect. "Then you shall have it. I will dispatch five hundred knights of my personal guard to assist your assault."

Temura bowed respectfully. "Thank you, your Majesty."

Ghadan made a dismissive gesture. "Please, quit the formalities, Temura. I'm not only helping you as a ruler, but also as a friend. I would accompany you myself, but these old bones would be of no help to you." He stood up and walked over to Temura. The two veterans grabbed each others wrists. "I have faith in you, my friend."

"Then I shall prove myself worthy of it", he answered with determination.

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Ezakiel assessed the building in front of him and raised his eyebrows. It was a rather large manor in the noble district of Dondruma, but obviously it had seen better times... long ago. The front lawn was overgrown with weeds, the grass almost as high as it gets in the wilderness. The building itself looked withered, showing that no one had maintained it for many years. A large dragon-skull-symbol was branded into the door, clearly marking who lived here.

"This is it", Seid said jovially. "The Dragon-Fang's headquarters." He made a wide, presenting gesture with both arms. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Well..." Ezakiel said, stretching the word to buy some time, thinking about a diplomatic thing to say. "It's really unique, I give you that."

"What do your neighbours say about it?" Reena asked.

"Nothing we listen to", the Royal replied with a laugh. He then waved them over as he led the way to the building. "I'll introduce you to the group, at least to those present right now. The rest should come a bit later." He stopped at the door, as if something just came to his mind, and turned around. "Oh, and don't mind it if it's a little untidy."

"That won't be a problem", Ezakiel said generously. Since he has always been the one responsible of waking Dalmin at the morning, he knew his fair share of homely chaos. Seid opened the door and let them in.

Ezakiel made a few steps into the lobby, looked around and raised his eyebrows. A lot of books, laundry and various other items were lying on the ground and the furniture was scattered without any apparent order. On the far end of the lobby was a large gong, but its purpose eluded him. While it didn't look too terrible, someone really should clean up in a while.

"This place is a mess" Ezakiel said.

"When have you last cleaned up?" Reena asked.

Seid laughed again. "A few days ago. But this is where we live. It looks like this most of the time." Ezakiel couldn't quite believe what he heard. He knew that Seid wasn't the most orderly of men, but that the Dragon Fang seemed to share this trait was new to him. He started to wonder how they were like.

Seid turned towards a staircase. "Everyone, I'm home!" he yelled.

Dante descended into the room, clad in a simple outfit of cotton and leather. He nodded at them as he stepped in front of Seid. Ezakiel could almost feel the air between them thickening. "Well?"

The Royal flashed a wide grin. "The Guild's officially at war with Nofresc now. The assault force will have as many hunters as we can get, and maybe even a load of royal soldiers. Temura's gonna ask the king for them. Preparations will take a few days, but then we'll march. The Head Administrator himself will lead the attack."

Dante didn't reply anything, but then tension between him and Seid was clearly loosing up. The Royal and his second seemed to come to some kind of mutual agreement. Eventually, Dante nodded. He then looked towards the three guests and lifted a hand for a second, which seemed to be his idea of a greeting. Seid started to look around, unpleased. "By the way, where's that buncha layabouts?"

"They're here, of course", Dante answered monotone. He took a step back and kicked the gong, startling the guests.

Steps could be heard from the upper level, and a young, skinny man descended, looking tired. "Damn, not again."

Then a door to the side was forcefully swung open by possibly the largest woman Ezakiel had ever seen. She was a good head taller than Ezakiel and musclebound. If Dalmin had been a female, he wondered, he would have looked somewhat like this. "The hell, Guys! Why do you keep doing that!"

After that, another door swung open, revealing an elderly man wearing an apron that was stained with fat, sauce, juices and the occasional blotch of blood, which clearly identified him as a cook. "Stop this ruckus, you delinquent! I'm busy here!"

Ezakiel could only stare. _This_ was the legendary Dragon Fang!

Seid stemmed his arm on his hip, shook his head and sighed. "Everyone, shut up and behave. First off: We have guests, so show some manner."

All eyes fell on the newcomers. Ezakiel felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he did notice that they indeed pulled themselves together. _Maybe there's more to them than meets the eye after all._

"And second, take a look around. What happened here?" Seid asked angrily.

The skinny man looked clueless. "I dunno what you mean. Nothing happened."

The Royal crossed his arms. "Right, and that's the problem. Didn't I tell you to clean this place up a few days ago? Well?" The Dragon Fangs shifted uncomfortably, murmuring, but not speaking out loud. Seid sighed again. "Ah well, it can't be helped." He turned to his guests while pointing at the skinny man. "Okay, that guy's Teto. He's good with music and distracts our prey."

Teto shrugged. "Yeah, I'm the bait."

"Moving on." Seid continued. "This is Namel. He's our chef, so be nice to him or he'll poison your food." He gestured at the elderly man, who stepped forward and firmly shook Ezakiels hand.

"Don't listen to this low-brow. Please, excuse my earlier outburst, I should have watched my manners." He spoke in a delicate, well-bred manner that belied his appearance.

"It's not a problem", Ezakiel assured.

Then large arms came into view, closed around him and pulled him into a crushing bear-hug that actually lifted him off the ground. "And I'm Kanta", the hulking woman droned into his ear, making him flinch, while tightening her grip. "Nice to meet ya!" She released him again, much to his relief.

He caught his breath again and managed a weak, pain-twisted smile. "My pleasure."

Seid laughed. "She's our blacksmith. Don't mind the pain, that's how she greets everyone." Then he stepped up again. "Okay, everyone: These are Ezakiel and Zeshen from Pokke, and I guess you know Head Administrator Temura's daughter Reena. They're the ones I told you about, and they'll also accompany us to Nofresc, so get to know each other, you'll be fighting side by side soon enough." Ezakiel inclined his head in greeting, Zeshen nodded and Reena waved. "I invited them for diner, so let's set up the table." He looked around helplessly for a second. "Um, where _is_ the table?"

"I needed it in the forge. I'll get it", Kanta said and disappeared to where she came from. Meanwhile, Dante and Teto arranged the couches and gathered chairs from all over the place. Then a large, massive wooden table came out of the open door, carried by the giantess. She effortlessly placed it between the furniture, bringing some distinct order into this mess. Namel had somehow vanished, most likely into the kitchen, to prepare the meal.

"Come on, get seated", Seid invited. Ezakiel, Zeshen and Reena sat down on one of the couches, while the Dragon Fangs sat across from them. There was still plenty of free space at the table.

The next half hour was spent talking. Ezakiel and his comrades told the other hunters their story, then they were chatting about the hunts they've had. Some of the tales the Dragon Fangs shared sounded really wild, but he could tell that they indeed were professionals. Dante and Seid hardly ever spoke, but while it seemed to come naturally to Dante, Seid looked seriously uneasy. He kept glancing at the entrance, as if he was awaiting someone.

"So, what way will we go to reach this Nofresc?" Teto asked.

"I think we'll go through Fort Lao Shan", Ezakiel answered. "It's the best route to reach the volcanic belt with a large group. Besides, that way we can assist the Fort against the Lao Shan Lungs."

"Exactly", Reena agreed. "From there it'll be a straight shot through the Dragon lands, right, Seid?" She looked at the Royal, but he didn't seem to have heard her. She waved her hand in front of his face. "Hello, Seid, are you with us?"

He started. "Huh? What was that?"

Reena palmed her face while Zeshen sighed. Ezakiel eyed the Royal worriedly. Something really wasn't right with him. "I was saying that once we get to Fort Lao Shan it'll be a straight shot through the Dragon Lands to Nofresc. With all the people volunteering to fight Mordecai we should have no problem getting through all the monsters to reach his castle."

"Also, if the various reports on the monsters movement are correct, we should experience little to no attacks on the way there", stated Zeshen.

"That means, we should reach the fort in about a day, then take another one to the Volcanic belt. We'll rest at its border, so that we're at full strength. Nofresc is only a few hours away from there", Reena continued.

Seid nodded absentmindedly and glanced back to the door again. "Hey, Seid", Ezakiel said, getting the Royals attention. "I'm grateful that you invited us for dinner, but ever since we sat down, you've been daydreaming. You said that the others are coming soon, so why are you so worried? Is something wrong?"

"…I'm just…waiting for a friend to come home", he answered with a sigh.

"What does that…" Reena was suddenly interrupted as the door Seid had stared at opened. A tall, dark skinned man and a woman with long, blond hair stepped into the room. Seid bolted out of his seat and rushed to them. Ezakiel was alarmed by the situation. He could tell something was afoot.

"Is Sigurd okay?" Seid demanded urgently. "What happened!"

The woman bit her lip and looked aside while the man lowered his head. Seid looked crestfallen for a second, then closed his eyes, his face expressing disappointment and sadness. After a minute he had gathered himself and sighed. "Report, then."

"We heard roars and shouts from the other end of the island, but by the time we arrived it was all over." The woman couldn't look into his eyes while she spoke. "Apparently he cornered the Garuga in it's lair and managed to kill it, but somewhere in the fight he was poisoned. He died shortly after."

Ezakiel felt his jaw tensing. Another hunter had died, another close friend to someone, just like Dalmin was to them. Apparently, this Sigurd's death wasn't any better than his. Yian Garuga are the fiercest of bird wyverns, feared for their speed, strength and slyness, but mainly for their poison. If the antidote wasn't applied in a few minutes, there was hardly any chance to survive.

"Damn it kid…" Seid murmured, more to himself than to anyone present. "I really thought you had what it took…"

The dark-skinned man put a hand on his shoulder. "We buried Sigurd on the island, but we do have the Garuga's corpse if you want to see it. He did a good number on the thing before it died."

The other Dragon Fangs stood up, so Ezakiel and his friends chose to join them as they approached the door, not stepping outside to give their leader some space. He could see Seid looking at the severely mutilated carcass of the purple monster. The Silver King sighed and turned to step back inside, but then he noticed something beside the door, out of their vision, and froze, staring in utter disbelief.

When they started to approach the door, he could hear an unfamiliar voice. "Hey Seid. Miss me?"

Seid shook off his numbness and smiled brightly, obviously relieved. "Sigur-" They had just reached the door when the Royal was silenced by a fist crashing into his face with horrible force. He was send flying over the low steps and landed onto the stone path.

Ezakiel gasped in shock and rushed outside, to see a man about his age recovering from the punch. He was battered and dirty, as if he had been out in the wild for weeks on end. He had a nasty, not completely healed wound on his right arm and a feral glint in his eyes. "What the…" Ezakiel stuttered, bewildered by the situation. "You hit him! Why did you do that!" Reena came to a stop beside him. She looked at Seid, then at Sigurd. Just as she was about to say something, however, they heard a chuckle.

Everyone turned to see Seid slowly getting up, giggling all the while. Ezakiel could only look in confusion as the Royal staggered back to his feet, laughing even louder with every passing moment. When he finally stood straight, he was shaking with laughter. Everyone present – even Sigurd – matched Ezakiels expression by the time Seid had calmed down.

"I guess I deserved that one." He chuckled again. "And the act earlier? Totally had me going there." He stepped up to Sigurd and, to the newcomer's surprise, threw an arm around his shoulder. "Reena, Ezakiel, Zeshen. Meet the newest member of the Dragon Fang, Sigurd."

The ragged hunter stretched out his uninjured hand, and Ezakiel shook it, recovering from the confusion. Seid rubbed the spot where Sigurd's fist had connected. "I say we go in. It's a much better place to talk."

Everyone got seated at the table again. "Now, let's finish the introductions", Seid said. "This is Kazu, our tracker. He makes sure that we find the monsters before they find us." The dark skinned man nodded in greeting. "And that's Myra, our medic. I guess Sigurd owes it to her that he was able to punch me just now." The blond woman smiled warmly at them. "These three are Ezakiel, Zeshen and Reena. They're going to accompany us to the volcanic belt."

„Volcanic belt?" Myra asked. „Are we missing out on something?"

"Good question", Sigurd added. "What's going on in the city? When we came here, there were hunters and knights everywhere. It looked like…"

"…like they're preparing for war", Seid finished seriously. "Of course, because that's what they're doing."

Sigurd looked at him in wonder. "What the hell happened? Who're we at war with?"

"Our guests can explain that a lot better than I can", Seid said.

Once more they explained what had happened. As they expected, the newcomers seemed sceptical at first, but the more they heard, the more they seemed to realize that the story made a terrible sense. In the end, Sigurd scratched his chin. "Your tale sounds completely wild, but if you managed to convince the Head Administrator, the King, and the entire Guild that it's true than it must have some merit. Oh, and you have my my sincere condolences regarding your friend."

"Thank you", Ezakiel said. It hurt terribly to think about Dalmin, but he forced down his sorrow. The time to mourn him had not yet come. He decided to change the subject. "By the way, what's your story, Sigurd? I'd like to know what Seid did to deserve such a blow."

Sigurd laughed. "About a week ago, he said that I had the potential to join the Dragon Fang. What he didn't tell me was that there was a test before I could join. That moron tranquilized me and shipped me off to an abandoned island, without armour or supplies, except a sword and a shield, even though I'm a gunner. My only company was a Yian Garuga. I tried to get off the island, but it kept haunting me, so I decided to kill it before I could try to take my leave. The fight didn't go well though. If it hadn't been for Myra and Kazu, who secretly observed me without my knowing, I wouldn't have made it."

"I'm surprised that you actually killed it with just a sword and shield", Reena said.

Sigurd showed off his right arm. "Not without some cost, I assure you."

"I mean, it's an awesome achievement for a gunner."

He made a dismissive gesture. "Well, I made a contract as a Guild-Trainer as soon as I was let out of the Academy. One of my four years was spent training with all forms of weaponry."

Ezakiel nodded. The Hunting Academy of Dondruma was famous for the education it granted. It was founded to train aspiring hunters who didn't have anyone else to do that, unlike in the villages where it was common for hunters to train their children. The instructors the academy brought forth went through a broad variety of training disciplines and were granted a rank in the Guild after they had graduated another hunter. It was a slower, but safer way to join the Guild, since they were taught a solid base to start with.

**(****Again, this part gives me some trouble. In your edit you sorta explained what the allowance is about, but Kanta still didn't attend the meal. I really think she should, since she'd be left out otherwise. That's why I'll make it so she does. There's always time to work on this allowance, so I don't think she should miss the meal just for that.)**

"So, is the Garuga going to be transported to the Refinery?" Zeshen asked.

"Nah", Kanta said, waving dismissively. "We got something special in mind for that."

"Special?" Sigurd eyed Seid suspiciously.

"Think of it as a reward, from the Dragon Fang to you, for performing such an impressive feat. After all, even dragons are nothing without their tough skin."

That still doesn't tell me…"

It was then that Namel entered the room, carrying two large trays overloaded with food. There was a large amount of meat, fish, and fruits. The meal looked delicious. Ezakiel could hear his stomach rumbling and tried to ignore Zeshen's teasing glare as she heard it.

The chef glared threateningly at the Dragon Fangs, much to his wonder. "_Remember: Behave_", he hissed dangerously before returning to the kitchen.

Ezakiel looked around the table and noticed the hungry gazes of their hosts. He could perfectly understand them, seeing how delicious the food in front of them smelled. The chef kept arranging food until about half the table was full. Then he set out the platters and silverware.

The expression in the Dragon Fangs eyes became one of longing as they grabbed their utensils. The way they did seemed odd, however, for they grabbed the forks and knives with their whole fist, as if they weren't used to it. From what he had learned about them so far, it was rather likely to him to actually believe it.

At last, Namel put down the last platter and sat down beside him. "That is all. Enjoy your meal!"

Immediately they filled their platters with hardly contained greed. The chef watched them sharply while they did. Ezakiel and his friends helped themselves as well, all the while keeping an eye on their hosts. By the time they had gathered their meal, the Dragon Fang was already eating, and rather viciously, too. Though they were using silverware, this use consisted mostly of pinning the food down with the knife and tearing it apart with the fork. Seid hardly used his utensils at all; he simply stabbed his fork into a slab of meat and held it in front of his face, not bothering with the knife. Namel, on the other hand, had excellent table manners. Only now did they notice that he had changed into a spotless apron.

Ezakiel had never held etiquette in too high an esteem, but even he had to smile inwardly as he watched their hosts, listening to the occasional smacking and slurping. Judging by the way Namel had acted earlier, he assumed that the chef had tried to teach them some manners. The success of this was questionable, but the chef seemed rather pleased. Ezakiel really didn't want to know how the meals here looked when they didn't have guests.

The meal lasted for half an hour. Ezakiel and his friends were full after about half the time, Namel ate for another five minutes, but the rest of the time they watched the Dragon Fang stuff themselves as if they weren't expecting food for days to come.

"How come they can eat so much?" Reena asked quietly

"It's been worse", Namel said, surprising them. "One time they did this for much longer. None of them could walk the next day." He chuckled. "They really do behave themselves, too. I'm surprised they're using silverware."

Ezakiel blinked as he found his suspicions to be confirmed. Zeshen smiled. "Is it hard to cook for them?"

"Actually, no. Sure, it involves quite some work to prepare the meal, but aside from that, it's nothing. And the Felynes help me out, too, so it doesn't bother me at all."

"You have Felynes helping you in kitchen, too?" Reena asked excitedly. "There are some in the headquarters, but unfortunately, we don't have any at home."

"Why not? I figured you would, seeing as you are nobility", Namel inquired.

"Well, my mom loves to cook herself, so she doesn't want any help. I really like her food, but I'd love to have a few Felynes. They're so cute!"

She was swooning with glistening eyes, and Ezakiel had to smile at her delight. Felynes were an interesting race, looking a lot like cats. They were about half as tall as he was and came in a lot of colours. They had been integrated into human society by the guild decades ago. The Felynes were often working on farms and, as in this case, kitchens due to their frugality and dexterity. That was far from slavery, though, for the Felynes were quite eager to work for humans, since mutual cooperation was a large part of their culture. He even had heard that there were hunters who trained them to aid them in battle, but never actually saw this.

There was another tribe similar to the Felynes, named the Melynx. They were outcasts and criminals which stole what they needed for a living. That was part of the reason why putting up guards while resting outside was so important. Many hunters who didn't woke up and found themselves liberated from their possessions.

Namel laughed. "Maybe I can introduce you to them some other time. I sure couldn't do it without them."

Meanwhile, the Dragon Fang had stopped eating as well. Only Seid was refusing to leave anything of his chicken-drumstick, but when he had finished it, he leaned back and petted his belly. "Ah, this was good. Can't wait till tomorrow for more." Namel just shook his head.

Ezakiel nodded at the chef. "I agree. The food was delicious." His friends expressed their appreciation as well, much to Namels joy.

Seid looked out of the window and they followed his gaze. Only now did they notice that night had fallen. "Oh, didn't know it's that late already", the Royal said, looking back to his guests. "I take it you're gonna call it a day, too. I'd accompany you to the door, but I don't feel like standing up right now."

Namel rose. "I'll do that."

Ezakiel offered the Royal his hand. "Thanks for your hospitality, Seid. We really enjoyed it." Zeshen and Reena agreed.

"The pleasure was all mine", he replied and firmly shook the hunter's hand. "Until next time, my friend."

Namel led them to the door. Before they stepped outside, Ezakiel turned around again and nodded at Dante, who returned the guesture.

"They sure are a strange bunch."

"But they're among the best", the chef said. "They don't have the best reputation for nothing. Sure, you have to get used to them, but I couldn't think of a better group to work for." He escorted them to the door.

"Thanks again for the meal", Ezakiel said.

"It was a pleasure having guests; I enjoyed it as much as you did. Now, if you would excuse me, I still have work to do. I hope we get to meet again soon." With that said, Namel bowed respectfully, then went back into the building.

"So, what to do now?" Ezakiel asked.

Reena scratched the back of her head. "Um, I'm going home. I haven't seen my mother since I left the city."

"Of course", Zeshen said. "Well, we should get back to our quarters then. Let's meet again in front of the headquarters tomorrow.

xxxxxxxxxx

Reena stood in front of the delicate door that led to her family's manor. Thoughts rushed through her head and emotions through her stomach as she raised her hand to open it. On the one hand, she had missed her parents and the security of her home, but on the other hand this place also symbolized the years of worry, of constriction and the many confrontations with her father.

Torn between longing and fear, she stood there, as if rooted in place. Her short life outside of this door ran past her mind's eye. The good things, like her friends, the fascinating places she had visited… But also the bad things, like the constant danger of the hunt, her doubts of being able to handle such a life and especially Dalmin's death at the hands of Mordecai.

The inner turmoil threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't known that she was so unstable. It was as if she had cast aside these terrible things, trying to suppress them, only for them to catch up and take their toll in this very instant. Her vision began to blur slightly when she came to the final conclusion. _Isn't everything my fault? I was the one who made them go to the volcanic belt. I led them to Mordecai, opened the doors to Dalmin's end. Had it not been for me, he would still be alive._

Everything in her past seemed to have been a mistake. Thinking only of the times of dread, of uncertainty, she started to believe that she had never done a single thing right after she had left home, that her father had been right all along.

Then it hit her. _No. He had cowered in fear all along. I'm not going to do the same!_ Ezakiels words from that morning came to her mind. _The past is the past. We got a future ahead of us, and it's not waiting. _From one instant to the next, her mind became clear again. _Then I also shan't wait for it._ She wouldn't block out the phantoms of the past, far from that, but she also wouldn't let them hold her back. On the contrary, she would embrace the world with all its wonders and horrors, for it is both that made one who they are.

Eventually, she had regained her determination, and looked at the door in front of her again. She came to realize her strange situation. Here she was, standing in front of the door to her home with a hand raised to open it, thinking about such matters. The elation of having escaped from the maelstrom of fear, sorrow and doubt, combined with the stupidity of this made her smile, then giggle. _Whatever was I thinking? It's just a door. It couldn't possibly hold me in place._

Her fingers firmly tightened around the doorknob, turning it. The expansive interior of her home came into view, with beautiful paintings of faraway lands, expensive carpets and furniture. As she closed the door, she heard steps from the direction of the living room.

Her mother, Isabel, came through the door, a middle aged woman with blond, but already greying hair and warm, brown eyes. She wore a simple, black dress, her favourite type of clothing. When she looked at her daughter, surprise, then joy crossed her face. "Reena? Oh, Reena, you're back!" She came over to her and slung her arms around her child in a loving embrace, which Reena immediately returned. She could feel tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. _Just what's going on with me today?_

When they eventually separated, Isabel held her at arms length, aimless anger showing in her teary eyes. "I've been worried sick about you, you know that!" she said breathlessly. "When your father told me what had happened, It thought I was about to die!" Before Reena could say something to her defence, she was being hugged again, much tighter now. "Promise me you'll never make me worry like that again."

Reena was taken aback by that for a moment, then patted her mother's back. "It's all right now, mom. I'm back, and in good health. You don't have to worry about me anymore."

Behind her, Temura appeared, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder. "Now, now. Please calm down, Isabel."

She whirled around, glaring at him. "Temura, our daughter has been gone for months!"

He apologetically lifted his hands. "I know, but now she's back." He gestured to the living room. "Come, let's get seated. We have a lot to talk about." He led them to a set of couches arranged around a low table. Reena and her mother sat down on one of those, Temura on another. Her father looked at them seriously, but she could tell that he was somewhat at ease. From their dinner with the Dragon Fang, she already knew that royal knights were assembling, so he had been successful.

"I've spoken to the king", he began. "He'll dispatch five hundred knights of his personal guard to aid us in battle."

"That's good", Reena said. "They're gonna be a great help to us in our assault."

Her mother sighed beside her. "Do you really have to go, Reena? You just returned."

With a pang of sadness, Reena turned to her. She could imagine how her mother felt. Even though, her father had been the one pressuring her most before she went to Kokoto, her mother hadn't been to keen about the idea, either. "I know, mom, but I have to. I lost a friend to Mordecai. I don't want him to have died in vain. That's why I have to honour him by helping to accomplish what he couldn't." Sorrow gripped her heart, but she fought it down. Dalmin wouldn't have wanted her to be like this. "Besides, if Mordecai succeeds, we're all gonna die, whether we fought him or not, so I'd rather help defeating him. That way, I'm at least of some use."

Her mother was speechless for a while, looking at her with surprise, then she smiled. "You've grown up since you left. I'm so proud of you." She reached over and hugged her daughter again. "I guess it really was a good idea to let you go after all."

Reena could hardly believe what she heard. She could feel tears forming in the corners of her eyes again. Finally, after all the arguments, the hardships, her mother approved of her decision to become a hunter.

She looked at her father, who sat there with folded hands, looking somewhat uncomfortable. He obviously still wasn't sure of that. She would have to show him that she could do it, but now she was certain that she could.

Her mother let go of her, eyes filled with worry. "Just, whatever you do, be safe. I couldn't bear to lose you."

Reena smiled assuringly. "Don't worry, I will. Dad's with me, too, so I'll be fine."

She sighed in defeat. "I guess you will. I just can't help but worry."

Temura cleared his throat. "I promise, I'll watch out for her. Anyway, here's the plan." He waited until they adjusted to the change of topic. "We'll march to Fort Lao Shan and help defending it. After that we'll cross the Dragon Lands from there."

Reena nodded. "I thought as much. We should be at the volcanic belt in about a day. I suggest we rest there. Once we reach the central cavern, Ezakiel, Zeshen and I can lead the way to Nofresc. It took us about half an hour to reach it, but we were running most of the time, so I guess it's about an hour from there."

Isabel looked from one face to the other. "You two seem to be quite lost in it, so I'll go and get something to eat." With that she stood up and went to the kitchen. Reena wasn't really hungry after the delicious meal she had enjoyed earlier, but she longed for something her mother had made.

"Say, dad", Reena began. "The first monster we'll have to face will be a Lao Shan Lung, right? I was just wondering, how do you fight something like that?"

Temura scratched his beard. "Lao Shan Lungs are unlike any other monster. They are gigantic, in the truest sense of the word. More than two hundred feet long, weighing several hundred tons. They're slow, but at the same time almost invulnerable. That's why the Guild built the fortress in the first place."

"I thought it was to keep them away from the mainland."

"Sure, but unlike other monsters, they could simply march through every resistance we throw at them. The fort's purpose is to buy us enough time to actually kill it. We have siege weapons installed there so we can injure them."

"You mean, normal weapons are useless?" she asked worriedly. The thought of standing around helplessly didn't sit well with her.

"Almost useless, but yes. The main offensive will come from the fort's weapons. It has eight ballistae and two cannons in total, plus the Dragonator."

Reena raised her eyebrows. "Dragonator?" She had never heard this term before.

Temura smiled grimly. "It's a technology we found inside the ruins of Castle Schrade. The Dragonator is basically a giant machine that can only be mounted on very sturdy buildings such as a fortress. It consists of a giant, pointed pole and a contraption to thrust it outward. The force behind it is incredible, even dangerous to a Lao Shan Lung, but it can only be used once before it has to be maintained, since certain parts break once it's used, so they have to be replaced every time."

"Wait, don't we have something like this on the main gate?" Reena asked, remembering that there were some pointy poles sticking out of the wall above the gate. "That's a Dragonator?"

"Well observed, Reena. That was the first one we built ourselves. The Dragonator we found in Shrade was a massive, hooked thorn that spun when used. At the time we installed the first Dragonator there, the engineers didn't quite understand the spinning mechanism yet, so they just made it thrust poles, which held enough force already. Then, when they were finally able to recreate it, we provided Fort Lao Shan with an improved version."

"Improved?"

"Indeed. We built not one, but four Dragonators close together and combined them so we can use them all at once. That could kill even a Lao Shan Lung. The only problem is that you can't even aim with that thing, let alone position it. The only way to hit something with it is to make the monster come in range."

"Sounds tough", Reena said. "I never heard of that."

Temura chuckled. "That's because you still needed diapers when I discovered it."

"Wait. You discovered it?" she asked, surprised.

"Yes. I practically stumbled over it when I fought Fatalis in the ruins of the castle. There was this huge, deadly looking contraption and a handle and Fatalis hanging in the air right in front of it, so I thought 'what the heck' and pulled the handle. The next thing I knew was this giant thing shooting out and ruining the left side of its face."

"So that's how you repelled it", Reena mused.

"Well, it was the last step. I fought it before, even injured it, but it got me in a tight spot, so I retreated into the castle to plan my next move. That's when I found the Dragonator."

Isabel entered the living room, laughing. "You really are something, darling. The first thing you do after finding your will to hunt again is to gloat." She placed a small platter with various pastries on the table. "Hunters have to eat decently, so enjoy the meal! And while you're at it, Reena, you could tell us some of _your _stories for a change."

Reena grinned happily, but then frowned in thought. She didn't know where to start.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ezakiel and Zeshen stood at the balcony of their suite, overlooking the sleeping Dondruma. Towering, dark clouds covered the sky, promising long and heavy rainfalls, maybe even a thunderstorm.

Seeing the land cower beneath the heaven, submitting to a force it couldn't fight, reminded him of how in vain his resistance had been against Mordecai, just like most things reminded him of this lately. Visiting the Dragon Fang had been a welcome distraction, but the pain, the sorrow, just seemed to have returned twofold, as if it had lurked in the shadow of his joy to lunge at his back.

They hadn't spoken more than a few words ever since Reena had left. Dalmin's death weighed heavily on him, seeming to drown the day in sadness. He wanted to remember the good times with his friend, the hunts they had together, the victories and the bragging, even the giant's excessive drinking orgies after a particularly splendid job and his terrible hangover the morning after. But every time he tried, he just realized what he had lost.

Looking at Zeshen, he knew that he had it easy in comparison. Just the other day had he learned that she had been in love with Dalmin, and maybe he had similar feelings for her. Ezakiel considered offering her his shoulder if she needed it, but didn't. His mother was right, the pain wouldn't disappear. The only way to endure it was to get to know it, embrace it, so that it couldn't hurt anymore than it did, and then learn to live with it.

He thought about his mother, who was hurrying back to their home that very instant, giving it her all to defend it. She had learned to endure the agony of loss and moved on, keeping her gaze ahead instead of back. Ezakiel was determined to pattern himself on her, but he wasn't certain whether he could. Only time would show.

xxxxxxxxxx

Three days later, Reena stood in front of Dondruma's main gate, at her friends' side, looking around. She could see many familiar faces, among them Seid and his Dragon Fang as well Ashvelt Garland and the Guild Guards, an elite troupe of the Guild that protected the capitol.

Beside him stood Ashvelt Merquel, clad in impressive armour made of Monoblos leather. Horns were sticking out of the shoulder pads, and the helmet was adorned with another one, which probably explained his title "Bloodhorn". He carried a large, devastating-looking scythe on his back. His grim, continuously grumpy face was no different from when she had last seen it in Fort Eden, but she thought she could see a slight hint of nervousness in the Royals' features.

She examined her equipment for what must have been the hundredth time. Two quivers of arrows were strapped to her back, so that she wouldn't run out of ammo as easily. In addition to the flash- and sonic-arrows were the respective bombs, which she wore in two pouches on her belt. Her bow had been maintained in the headquarters' crafting shop to have it in top condition. She had also bought a new sabre, since her old one was still lying around in Mordecai's throne room.

They stood just behind her father, in the first line of the assault force, waiting for the order to move out. Behind them, hundreds of hunters had gathered, along with five hundred knights. All in all, they were nine hundred and fourteen fighters. Reena was wondering whether that would suffice. After all, not even Schrade could persevere against the hordes of Nofresc.

"At attention!" the leader of the knights yelled. "Hail His Majesty!" She and each of her soldiers stood erect and slammed their right hands on their breastplates, over their hearts. The hunters followed suit.

King Ghadan Kerrh Minegarde IV walked through the gate, returned their salute and let his gaze wander over their ranks. "I greet you, noble warriors who have gathered from all over Minegarde to take up arms against a threat that denies our right to be. A threat that raises a claim on our world, the world of our ancestors, the world of our _children_! We cannot allow this, and we won't. You will march to the enemy's gates to declare…" He raised his voice in grim resolve. "…that we shall not fall! We shall stand strong and claim our future! Embark, brave warriors, knights and hunters alike! Go forth and defend this future! Our hearts, our faith and our prayers are with you."

Nine hundred and fourteen humans stood together, heeding these words. Nine hundred and fourteen beating hearts. Reena felt that she was part of something magnificent. This feeling of unity, of mutual, heartfelt determination was greater than anything she had ever experienced.

Temura turned towards the hunters. "All right, we march! To victory!" he yelled. They cheered, raising fists and weapons into the air. Reena joined in, grinning widely. She enjoyed seeing her father like this, fierce and brave, as if the past fifteen years had never existed.

Then they set out towards Fort Lao Shan, determined to give everything they got. Reena's elation was dimmed as she looked around. Many of these people, if not all, were going to die before long. Mordecai's thirst for blood was endless, and the battle that was to come would be of much satisfaction.

"Hey, Reena", Ezakiel said, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I can tell that you're worried, but don't be. Everyone here has come by their own, free will. They accept the possibility of death."

"How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked, surprised.

Zeshen chuckled. "You're easy to read. Anyway, Ezakiel's right, you're worrying too much. When you have doubts in battle, you lose. It's okay to be concerned, but never forget: We must persevere, no matter the odds, no matter the sacrifices we have to make, lest those we left behind are fey. Once the battle starts, we can't afford to worry about anyone. I won't deny that many of us will meet their end soon, maybe even the three of us. But I don't care about that right now. Remember the dead, but not until they really are dead."

Reena sighed. "I guess you have to think like this when you live with danger all the time."

Ezakiel nodded. "That's right, you have to stay sane. Our head's the only advantage we have."

"And if you loose your head…" Zeshen said. "…you loose it again, literally."

xxxxxxxxxx

The day went by uneventfully. When the sun was about to set, they could finally see their destination.

Reena forgot to blink as she saw it. Fort Lao Shan was massive, truly titanic. It was built inside a wide canyon, the only route a Lao Shan Lung could take to reach the mainland, and also the only way to reach the volcanic belt by foot. The structure effectively blocked it, reaching more than a hundred feet into the air. There was a huge gate leading through it to quickly allow large groups of people to pass.

This gate opened as Temura took a short horn from his belt and blew it. Behind it they could see, strangely enough, a solid wall. Just when Reena was about to wonder why they were marching into a dead end, she noticed the wide staircases to the left and right sides of the short corridor. Then she realized that this actually made sense. If they hadn't built it, a Lao Shan Lung could easily walk through the fortress once it had breached the gate, but with this, it would be stopped even further, maybe even get stuck, so the defenders could easily finish it off.

They ascended the stairs, which took a sharp turn after a short distance, leading together near the top of the building. The whole level was open, and for the first time, she could just how thick the walls were. The other end of the room was about eighty feet away from them, with staircases similar to the ones they just used, which were probably leading down to the battlefield. Hunters were running about everywhere, carrying supplies and ammunition. The whole place had a tense air to it, like a premonition, a shadow of the impending assault.

A stout man approached them as they had assembled, wearing armour like she had never seen it before, made of large, bluish scales and plates that were artfully crafted together. He had a long, red and black sword on his back, a great sword which seemed to be covered in scales. What caught their eye, however, was his face. It was broad, with small, almost black eyes, which was the only feature they could really determine, since his entire visage was covered in scars. Strangely enough, these scars seemed to have been inflicted by blades, not by monsters, making her wonder what happened to him.

The man knelt down and saluted to Temura. "Greetings, Head Administrator Temura. It's been too long since we last met", he said with a deep, hoarse voice.

Temura nodded. "I feel the same, commander Mefist. It's good to be here again."

The commander stood up again and looked at the troops before him. "I see that the envoys haven't exaggerated. Excellent! So many more blades to shed their blood. All right, everyone. To the right and left of this wall are the troop-quarters. We could pack up to three times your number, so don't worry about space. The first Lao should be here in about two hours, so you can prepare yourselves thoroughly."

Temura watched the others fill into the caves that had been dug into the mountain to provide more space. "How fares the fort's defense?"

Mefists lips curled into what he might have called a grin, but indeed it looked as if he bore his teeth. "Two hundred and seventy hunters are already there, with your aid it comes to almost twelve hundred. Good enough to tear these bastards asunder."

"I sure hope so. You must know, we may not be able to help you with the second Lao. As you're informed, we have to march towards Nofresc."

"Don't sweat it, I'll handle the second. I'd never have imagined that some guy was behind all this. Makes me wonder whom to hate more. Do me a favour and gut that swine for me!" He stepped back. "Gotta round up the officers. They'll save the Dragonator for the second Lao. We'll catch up later." With that he turned away, yelling orders.

Reena and her friends stepped closer to Temura, who had a worried expression on his face. She looked at the commander's retreating back. "Who was that?" she asked.

He pursed his lips before answering. "Mefist, commander of the fort. He's one of the experienced hunters the guild had ever seen. He earned his right to become a Royal long ago."

"He's a Royal?" Ezakiel asked.

"No. He was offered to become one, but declined."

Everyone was surprised at that. "Why wouldn't he want to become a Royal?" Zeshen asked.

Temura sighed. "To quote him: "Becoming a Royal would be a step towards the future, and I don't have one." That was years ago, and he still hasn't changed his attitude."

"I just don't get it", Reena said. "What's wrong with this guy? There are hunters who would've given their left hand to get what he declines."

Now Temura turned around, a troubled expression on his face. "Twenty two years ago, when he had just become commander, he invited his daughters, really green rookies, to help defend the fort. He thought that it was no problem, after all, he had fought many of these monsters and commanded a small army of hunters, but things went terribly wrong. His daughters had no idea how to fight a monster, let alone a Lao Shan Lung. They came too close and were eaten. Mefist had to watch it all."

Reena's eyes widened, while Ezakiel and Zeshen sympathetically sighed. She couldn't possibly imagine the pain he had to endure. Temura nodded, as if approving of their understanding, and continued. "That experience changed him completely, and I'm afraid he lost his mind. Not once in all the years that had passed since that day did he leave this place, developing a hatred that remained matchless ever since. I dare say that not even Ashvelt Vindel is that bloodthirsty. You saw his scars, didn't you?"

Ezakiel nodded. "They seemed to have been inflicted by a blade rather than a monster."

"It indeed was a sword, his own, to be accurate. Every time a Lao Shan Lung attacks the fort, he cuts his face to fuel his anger, and it works. Few things are more unsettling than his battle cry." He sighed. "Killing these monsters, avenging his daughters time and time again… That's all he has left, at least he thinks so. That's the reason why he claims to have no future. In his mind, he died along with them. It appears that he has become even worse, despite having slaughtered more than eighty of them by now. I believe that he's now helplessly insane."

Reena lowered her gaze. "Such a poor man."

Her father made a dismissive gesture. "It can't be helped. We shouldn't waste our time talking about things of the past. Come, I'll show you around." He gestured them to follow and moved towards the stairs leading up.

Reena couldn't stop thinking about Mefist. He had to endure so much pain, every single day of his life, until he lost sight of his very future. She couldn't help but wonder whether her father would become the same if something happened to her.

However, she was snapped out of her unpleasant pondering when she heard something she had never expected in a place like this: Music. When they had ascended the stairs, they could see an orchestra, obviously rehearsing. She knew that her expression must have been one of utter confusion, but couldn't help it.

Temura laughed. "You wouldn't have expected this, right?"

Ezakiel raised his eyebrows. "What in the world is an orchestra doing in a fortress?"

"That's simple", the Head Administrator said, grinning. "They're here for the motivation. Fighting a Lao Shan Lung is a terrifying task. To help the hunters cope with this, these people will play during the fight, giving them courage. I don't know who came up with this, but it sure was a good idea."

Right now, they were playing a rather quiet, serene symphony. The music reminded her of the fresh, pleasant wind of discovery, of her jaunty days with her instructor Kemani. When they were finished, the four hunters applauded, making the orchestra both happy and a little nervous when they noticed that they had the Head Administrator as an audience.

When they left the musicians, Temura led them up another set of stairs, which led to the fortress' rooftop. From this altitude, they could oversee a vast landscape, even the far away Dondruma. Reena marvelled at the sight of her home from this far. Then she went to the other side of the structure, where the weapons were positioned. There indeed were eight ballistae and two cannons, half of those on each side of a large, strange-looking contraption with what looked like a small, red platform.

Her father noticed her gaze. "This is the Dragonator. When you hit the switch, it activates. In order to keep it from being used accidentally, for example when someone sits down on the switch, it was build in a way that needs to be exposed to quite a lot of force. We use a strong man with a large hammer to operate it."

Ezakiel stepped closer to the parapet, looking at the landscape. Ahead lay a small valley, which led to two canyons, shrouded in mist. "So this will be our battlefield", he mused. "I just wonder, how are we going to enter the Dragon Lands if the path is blocked by a Lao Shan Lung?"

"These two canyons both lead there, but the right one worms its way through the mountains, which is quite a detour. The elder dragon will approach from the other one. They always do that. That means the right one is clear", Temura explained.

"But we can't afford such a detour", Zeshen interjected. "By the time we reach Nofresc, it might already be too late."

Temura grinned. "It's a detour for a Lao Shan Lung, but a splendid shortcut for us. You see, there are plenty of passages and caves there. A Lao could hardly stick its head inside, but we can pass without problems. In fact, one of these passes will lead us straight through the mountain towards the volcanic belt. We'd save about half a day worth of time if we use it."

"That's great!" Reena exclaimed. "That means we won't have to spent the night and lose even more time."

"Yes, but that also means that you won't have much of a respite until this is over. I say we should rest now. It's still some time until the Lao Shan Lung is here, so be well prepared. I'll lead you to the quarters. Follow me."

xxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later, everyone was assembling in front of the fort. They were checking their equipment or chatting to ease their unrest. Reena looked at their allies. They were talking, obviously going over their tactic one last time. Dante, however, was standing apart from them, staring at the chasm through which the dragon would come. He was bound to be on edge, seeing as his revenge was only mere hours away.

Then they heard the stomping. Reena felt her heart sink when she realized that these were the dragon's footsteps. After a few more minutes of tense silence had passed, they could see a shadow closing in through the mist. It didn't seem as large as she had thought, but then she noticed that it was only its head.

It was massive! The horn on its snout alone was about as long as she was tall. The dragon growled as it slowly crept forward. When its huge, ashen-coloured body came into view, she could tell that her father hadn't exaggerated. Now she finally understood why the Guild had built such a fortress to stop these monsters.

She flinched when she heard another growl, which strangely enough came from behind her. Turning around, she saw Mefist, approaching with drawn blade. His eyes were wide open, filled with pure hatred, his teeth born, as he walked forward with quick, aggressive steps, snarling like a rabid animal. He stopped in front of the army, literally trembling with rage by now.

Reena gasped when he indeed raised his sword, cutting into his cheek. His growling turned insane, then he spread his feet and arms, threw his head back and let out a howl that made her blood freeze solid. Not even the Khezu had sounded so horrifying. Mefists rage seemed to escalate as he howled again, even louder and fiercer, while the blood was running over his face. Even the Lao Shan Lung had slowed down, gazing at the man in front of it. It was obvious that he had lost it.

Then the commander raised his sword and pointed it at the dragon, yelling at the top of his lungs. "There is no future! _For any of us_!"

That's it for now. I hope I could make up for the long delay even a little. Unfortunately, I still don't know when I will be able to upload the next chap, **BUT:** The rest of the story is just about finished, so, along with the next update, I will bring you the end of my story. Yes, next are four chapters plus an epilogue! I promise that things will get quite epic from now on, with almost constant action and maybe one or two surprises...

Unlike my last promise, this one I'll definitely keep! I don't know how long it will take, but stay tuned. Until then!


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